Monkeypox outbreak: epidemiological overview, 19 July 2022
Updated 7 November 2024
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Monkeypox is a zoonotic infection, caused by the monkeypox virus, that occurs mostly in West and Central Africa. Previous cases in the UK had been either imported from countries where monkeypox is endemic or contacts with documented epidemiological links to imported cases.
Between 2018 and 2021, there had been 7 cases of monkeypox in the UK. Of these, 4 were imported, 2 were cases in household contacts, and 1 was a case in a health care worker involved in the care of an imported case. There was no documented community transmission in previous outbreaks.
Current epidemiological situation as of 18 July 2022
Cases of monkeypox infection were confirmed in England from 6 May 2022. The outbreak has mainly been in gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men without documented history of travel to endemic countries. Further details on the epidemiology are available in the monkeypox technical briefing.
Up to 18 July 2022 there were 2,137 laboratory confirmed cases in the UK. Of these, 51 were in Scotland, 13 were in Northern Ireland, 23 were in Wales and 2,050 were in England.
Please note that today’s increase in case numbers in England since last report (Table 1) includes positive tests with result dates between 12 and 17 July 2022. This is a longer timeframe than is usually reported, so should not be interpreted as a sudden rise in the rate of cases. These were included in externally published surveillance data for the first time on 18 July after an NHS diagnostic laboratory’s monkeypox testing was assured. All individuals received their test results at the time.
Table 1: Number of laboratory confirmed cases by UK nation of residence, 6 May to 18 July 2022
| UK nation | Confirmed cases | Change since last report (14 July 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| England | 2,050 | +272 |
| Northern Ireland | 13 | +1 |
| Scotland | 51 | +5 |
| Wales | 23 | +3 |
| Total | 2,137 | +281 |
A high proportion of England cases were London residents (73%, 1,492 of 2,034 with location information). For confirmed cases in the UK, where gender information was available, 2,004 (99.3%) were male and 14 were female. The median age of confirmed cases in the UK was 37 years (interquartile range 31 to 44).
Table 2: Number of laboratory confirmed monkeypox cases by region of residence, England, 6 May to 18 July 2022
| Region of residence | Total confirmed | Change since last report (14 July 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 82 | +13 |
| East Midlands | 25 | +5 |
| London | 1,492 | +179 |
| North East | 21 | +3 |
| North West | 115 | +10 |
| South East | 172 | +28 |
| South West | 41 | +13 |
| West Midlands | 51 | +11 |
| Yorkshire and Humber | 35 | +10 |
| Under investigation* | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 2,050 | +272 |
*Address not yet confirmed
Data sources
Monkeypox surveillance data in England is currently compiled daily, based on monkeypox virus test results from the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL), which is the UKHSA monkeypox reference laboratory, and other UK laboratories with monkeypox testing assured by RIPL. This is combined with case information recorded by local Health Protection Teams in the UKHSA national case management system.
Counts of confirmed cases in Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are submitted to UKHSA by Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, and Public Health Scotland respectively.
Information about this publication
This update is currently published on Tuesdays and Fridays, using data extracted by 9.30am on Mondays and Thursdays. As of 21 June 2022, this report replaces the news stories previously published 3 times a week.
These figures are used for official reporting of monkeypox confirmed case counts in the UK.
England counts may differ from those published in the Notifications of infectious diseases (NOIDs) causative agents weekly report. This is due to differences in timings of when the data is compiled, and differences in processing of duplicate data (for example, if a person has tested more than once but insufficient information is provided to identify them).