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Nearly a fifth of UK monkeypox cases linked to travel

By Reuters
Cases of monkeypox continue to rise outside Africa, where the pathogen is endemic

Nearly a fifth of monkeypox cases reported in the United Kingdom are linked to travel, Britain’s UK Health Security Agency(UKHSA) said on Wednesday.

Recent foreign travel to a number of different countries in Europe within 21 days of symptom onset has been reported by 34 confirmed cases, or 18 percent of the 190 cases of the viral disease that have been confirmed by the United Kingdom as of May 31.

So far, the UKHSA has identified links to gay bars, saunas and the use of dating apps in Britain and abroad.

“Investigations continue but currently no single factor or exposure that links the cases has been identified,” the agency cautioned.

Cases of monkeypox continue to rise outside Africa, where the pathogen is endemic. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said it had received reports of more than 550 confirmed cases of the viral disease from 30 countries outside of Africa since the first report in early May.