UK: Monkeypox cases rise by 28%; 104 new cases in England takes total caseload to 470

United Kingdom on June 13 registered 104 cases of monkeypox, a whopping 28% spike — bringing the total figure to 470. All the infections were detected in England, the UK Heath Security Agency said in a statement. Of the total cases, at least 452 confirmed cases were found solely in England, 12 in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and four in Wales, the UKHSA informed.

The disease had spread due to the close contact with infected, symptomatic individuals who had already been diagnosed positive. In case of rash with blisters, people were aksed to contact their nearest sexual health clinic. UK has topped as the country with most monkeypox cases, followed by Spain (259), Portugal (191) and Germany (150) as more than 1,300 cases have already been registered worldwide. 

The Venezuela government on Sunday, June 12, also registered the country’s first case. Speaking about the patient, health minister Magaly Gutierrez said that the person who was infected had entered the country through the main airport near Caracas after arriving from Madrid. “He was immediately isolated, the pertinent tests were carried out and samples were taken, giving a positive result,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.

Monkeypox virus, that has spread in about 20 countries so far, is not as severe as COVID-19, Dr. NK Arora, Chairman of India's National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) said in a statement to ANI. Rapid spread is a "matter of concern," he added, as he also warned that disease will have "severe output in those who may be immunocompromised." 

WHO describes monkeypox as 'real risk' 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier warned about cluster outbreak of monkeypox as global cases surpassed the 1,000 mark. In a press briefing, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the "risk of monkeypox becoming established in non-endemic countries is real," but preventable. The chief of the apex health body recommended that there is no immediate need for mass vaccination, as at the time, no deaths from contracting the disease was reported in the non-endemic countries. Dr Ghebreyesus further said that the sudden and unexpected surge in monkeypox in several non-endemic countries indicates that the strain of the Monkeypox may have undergone undetected transmission for "how long we don't know."

What is monkeypox?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is commonly found in Central western Africa amid densely populated tropical rainforests. The virus can spread from animal to human as well as transmit from human to human. Symptoms of monkeypox are a typical fever, intense headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, and rash or lesions on the skin, that last for 2-4 weeks, WHO outlines.

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