Monkeypox: UK cases hit more than 1,000

Public health authourities have warned the public to be alert to symptoms if attending large summer events

(REUTERS)

Monkeypox cases have hit more than 1,000 across the UK, as public health officials send a warning over large summer events.

Cases of the virus are surging nationally with 1,076 cases confirmed on Monday - up by 166 on Friday 24 June.

UK Health Security Agency, which will be publishing updates twice weekly, said it expects to confirm more cases in the coming days.

The public health authourity has warned people who are attending large summer event or having sex with new partners to be alert to the symptoms.

Latest figures show 1,035 cases in England, five in Northern Ireland, 27 in Scotland and nine in Wales.

At least 79 per cent, 659, of people with the virus reported a home address in London, while 1033 cases are male. UKHSA said the majority of cases continue to be reported in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men.

The warning over large events comes following Glastonbury music festival last weekend and ahead of London Pride on 2 July.

In an update on Monday the World Health Organisation said it had recieved 3,413 confirmed reports of monkeypox from 50 countries.

The majority of cases reported to WHO are from european countries with the UK reporting the most.

Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at UKHSA said: “The monkeypox outbreak in the UK continues to grow, with over a thousand cases now confirmed nationwide. We expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and weeks. If you are attending large events over the summer or having sex with new partners, be alert to any monkeypox symptoms so you can get tested rapidly and help avoid passing the infection on. Currently the majority of cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men. However, anyone who has had close contact with an individual with symptoms is also at increased risk.

“If you are concerned that you may have monkeypox, don’t go to events, meet with friends or have sexual contact. Instead, stay at home and contact 111 or your local sexual health service for advice. We are grateful to all the people who have come forward so far for testing and to assist us with our contact tracing.”