Monkeypox cases surge to 366 across UK as government passes legislation to tackle it
The number of Monkeypox cases has surged pass 350 as the UK passed legislation to tackle the virus this week.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) detected 43 cases by 9 June, bringing the total number to 366, up from 321 on 7 June.
The infection, which can be transmitted by close physical contact, has particular prevalence among gay and bisexual men.
The majority of the cases, 348, were confirmed in England, with the rest in Scotland, 12, two in Northern Ireland and just four in Wales.
This week, Monkeypox was listed as a notifiable disease in law under the Health Protection Regulations 2010.
This means all doctors in England are required to notify their local council or local Health Protection Team (HPT) if they suspect a patient has monkeypox.
Laboratories must also notify the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) if the monkeypox virus is identified in a laboratory sample.
Wendi Shepherd, monkeypox incident director at UKHSA, said “rapid diagnosis and reporting is the key to interrupting transmission and containing any further spread of monkeypox. This new legislation will support us and our health partners to swiftly identify, treat and control the disease.”
“It also supports us with the swift collection and analysis of data which enables us to detect possible outbreaks of the disease and trace close contacts rapidly, whilst offering vaccinations where appropriate to limit onward transmission.”