Guidance

Mpox clade I returning workers scheme

Advice for people returning to the UK after working in an area affected by an outbreak of clade I mpox.

About the scheme

The Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) applies to for any organisation that has UK resident staff who have been or will be deployed to areas affected by clade I mpox virus, in response to the outbreak. This includes humanitarian and healthcare organisations that are sending workers to situations where they might be directly exposed to clade I mpox virus.

The UKHSA RWS was established in November 2014, as part of arrangements to protect and monitor the health of those who travel to Ebola affected areas for their work. This scheme now forms part of the UK arrangements to support and monitor the health of those who travel to high consequence infectious disease affected areas for their work, once back in the UK.

To ensure that UKHSA is able to establish prompt and efficient monitoring arrangements, and provide organisations with regular updates and guidance we ask that:

  • organisations deploying workers to clade I mpox outbreak affected areas register with the UKHSA returning workers scheme, in advance of travel wherever possible
  • once registered, organisations should provide UKHSA with the travel details of all staff (paid or unpaid) returning from clade I mpox areas, in advance of their arrival into the UK

Current outbreak areas

The scheme applies to UK residents deployed to clade I mpox affected areas in response to the outbreak of mpox.

This list of countries may change in the future as the epidemiology of the current outbreak is rapidly evolving.

Register for the scheme

Contact returningworkersscheme@ukhsa.gov.uk to find out more about the scheme and to register.

There is separate information available about registering with the scheme for Ebola or Marburg.

Further information about mpox in 2024

See Mpox: background information.

Updates to this page

Published 30 August 2024
Last updated 16 October 2024 + show all updates
  1. Changes in language to align with returning worker scheme page for Marburg virus and Ebola.

  2. First published.

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