Monkeypox cases in the UK have risen above 1,000 as the rare disease continues to spread, officials confirmed today.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses said there had been 1,076 infections as of Sunday, almost double the number a fortnight ago.
Authorities said they expect cases to continue to rise further in the coming days and are advising anyone going to large events or having sex with new partners to ‘be alert’ for symptoms.
Cases continue to be predominantly among gay and bisexual men and the UK’s outbreak has been linked to raves, saunas and dating apps, with the virus mostly spreading through sex.
It came as modelling by a Strathclyde University professor warned the outbreak could continue for another year and infect tens of thousands of Britons daily in a worst-case scenario. The simulation assumes all under-50s — the last age group to get a smallpox vaccine, which provides cross-protection — are susceptible to monkeypox.
Other scientists do not expect the virus to ever reach the heights of Covid waves because monkeypox requires prolonged close contact or contaminated surfaces to spread.
Announcing Britain’s new cases today, Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at the 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.
