How many mpox cases are there in the UK as WHO declares international emergency?

A new strain is spreading across Africa at an alarming rate, with it having originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the second time in three years that the WHO has designated an mpox epidemic as a global emergency. The number of cases reported so far this year has already exceeded last year's total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths according to the WHO, Sky News reports .

The emergence of a new clade of #mpox , its rapid spread in eastern #DRC , and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international..

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com/u2DSV6fitj — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 14, 2024 The viral disease occurs mostly in central and western Africa, with the latest outbreak in the continent beginning with the spread of an endemic strain known as Clade 1. The new variant that has emerged, known as Clade 1b, appears to spread more easily through close contact, particularly among children. How many cases of mpox are there in the UK right now? According to the Government website , there have been a total of 286 cases of mpox reported in the UK during 2023 and 2024.

Of these, 269 were in England, 11 were in Scotland, five in Northern Ireland and one in Wales. It is likely all these cases were related to previous outbreaks of mpox and not the new variant Clade 1b. Mpox (formerly monkeypox) signs and symptoms Acc.