JAKARTA - The British Health Safety Administration (UKHSA) said cases of monkeypox appeared to be spread from person to person, with the majority occurring in men than women.
The usually mild viral disease, which is endemic in west and central Africa, is known to spread through close contact. Until early May, cases were rare outside Africa and were usually associated with travel there.
"The current outbreak is the first time the virus has been passed from person to person in the UK where travel links to an endemic country have not been identified," the agency said.
According to the UKHSA, the majority of cases in the UK, 132, are in London. Of these, 111 cases were known to have occurred in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Only two cases were in women.
Recent overseas travel to a number of different countries in Europe within 21 days of the onset of symptoms, has been reported by 34 confirmed cases, or about 18 per cent of the 190 confirmed cases of the disease by the UK as of 31 May.
So far, UKHSA has identified links to gay bars, saunas and use of dating apps in the UK and abroad.
"Investigations are continuing, but at this time no single factor or exposure linking the cases has been identified," the agency warned.
Monkeypox can affect anyone, but many of the latest diagnoses are community GBMSM, many of whom live in, or have ties to, London, said Kevin Fenton, London's regional director for public health.
"As with any new disease outbreak, the risk of stigma and uncertainty is enormous," he said.
UKHSA works with groups, including the UK Sexual Health and HIV Association, as well as the dating app Grindr to communicate with sexual health services and the GBMSM community. It also prompted organizers of the LGBT Pride and Consortium event to help with messaging in the coming weeks.
Monkeypox usually causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions that usually clear up on their own within a few weeks, but can kill a minority of those infected.
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Separately, British health authorities are offering the Bavarian Nordic vaccine, Imvanex, to contacts of confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox.
It is known that monkeypox cases are steadily increasing outside Africa, mostly in Europe, and scientists are trying to figure out the reasons behind its spread.
As of Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it had so far received reports of more than 550 confirmed cases of the viral illness from 30 countries outside Africa.
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