Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: An Epidemiology Brief, 6 July 2023

This epidemiological overview provides an update on the number of confirmed probable mpox cases in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus and occurs mainly in West and Central Africa. Before 2022, cases diagnosed in the UK were either imported from countries where mpox is endemic or were contacts with documented epidemiological links to imported cases. Between 2018 and 2021, there have been seven mpox cases in the UK. Of these, four were importers, two were domestic contacts, and one was a healthcare worker who treated an imported case. There was no record of community transmission in previous outbreaks.

of British mpox control strategy to eliminate human-to-human transmission of mpox in the UK. Disease elimination is defined According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the European Region, in the presence of a well-functioning surveillance system, no domestically transmitted cases for at least 3 months;

Current epidemiological situation by 30 June 2023

The detection of a case of mpox infection infected within the UK has been confirmed in the UK since 6 May 2022. The outbreak occurs primarily among homosexuals, bisexuals, and other men who have sex with men who have no documented travel history to endemic countries.

Suspected mpox samples tested positive using the mpox polymerase chain reaction (PCR) The test is classified as a confirmed case.Samples tested positive using orthopox PCR Tests are classified as probable cases. Orthopox is a group of viruses that includes mpox. The counts below combine both of these categories.

By 31 December 2022, the UK had reported 3,732 confirmed probable mpox cases. Of these, 3,553 were from England, 34 from Northern Ireland, 97 from Scotland and 48 from Wales.

In 2023 (to 30 June 2023), 29 more mpox cases were reported in the UK. Of these, 28 occurred in the UK (14 presumed to have contracted mpx in the UK, 11 contracted outside the UK, 3 awaiting classification) and 1 occurred in Scotland (UK imported cases infected outside the country). From 1 to 30 June 2023, 8 new cases were reported, 7 of them in London.

Table 1: Number of confirmed probable mpox cases by UK country of residence from 6 May 2022 to 30 June 2023*

british nation	Cases reported in 2022**	Cases estimated to be infected in the UK in 2023	Cases estimated to have been acquired (imported) outside the UK in 2023	Cases Awaiting Classification in 2023	Total (2022 and 2023)
England	3,553	14	11	3	3,581
Northern Ireland	34	0	0	0	34
Scotland	97	0	1	0	98
wales	48	0	0	0	48
total	3,732	14	12	3	3,761

*Based on data extracted on July 3, 2023.

**2022 figures start on 6 May 2022 and are a combination of UK acquired cases and imported cases.

data source

The mpox surveillance data in the UK is based on mpox and orthopoxvirus test results from the Institute for Rare Imported Pathogens (ripple), which is the UK Health and Safety Agency (British service) mpox reference laboratories and other UK laboratories performing mpox and orthopox testing.

The number of confirmed cases in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland is British service According to Public Health Wales, Public Health Northern Ireland and Public Health Scotland respectively.

Information about this publication

These figures will be used for official reporting of confirmed cases of mpox in the UK.

England counts may differ from those published. Information about infectious diseases (NOID) Weekly Report on Causative Substances. This is due to differences in when the data is collected and differences in the handling of duplicate data (e.g. a person has been tested multiple times but not enough information was provided to identify the person). if not).

mpox is still a notifiable infection, see below. British serviceof NOID Report on weekly updates Number of mpox cases notified to laboratories in the UK (not cumulative).

Data cleaning is performed on a regular basis, but modifications can be applied between reports, such as updating patient information or removing quality assurance samples from the laboratory monitoring system.

additional resources

Mpox Outbreak: Technical Briefing

Mpox: Defining Cases

Mpox Contact Tracing Guidance: Classification of Contacts and Advice on Immunization and Follow-up