Monkeypox outbreak: uk monkeypox outbreak mapped - where are cases?

Monkeypox is starting to take root in the UK as two cases are officially confirmed in England. Health authorities have monitored the outbreak since the first confirmed case in the UK.

Infections of the disease are generally rare outside of the borders of central Africa, but other nations have seen the disease before. America notably saw the disease materialise in 2003,

where over 70 cases were recorded from an original outbreak site in Wisconsin, later traced in origination to Ghana. WHERE HAVE THERE BEEN MONKEYPOX CASES? Monkeypox has seen a limited

spread throughout the UK, with confirmed origination in Nigeria, where both patients had recently visited. At the moment, the disease is confined to two people, one at a naval base in

Cornwall and the other in Blackpool. The first case was recorded in Cornwall on September 7, and the patient was a native Nigerian who has since been moved to London’s Royal Free Hospital.

The second person who contracted the disease - returning from Nigeria after a visit to the country - is now located at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Monkeypox can spread from

person to person, much like the flu, where droplets from sneezes or close contact will see the disease jump between people. The two confirmed infections occurred entirely separate from one

another, and both victims have never met. Further spread throughout the country is unlikely, as both victims have been isolated at their respective hospitals and are under constant

monitoring. There have however been more major outbreaks, with the most recent just over a year ago in The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The most recent cases of Monkeypox outside the

UK were sen in the DRC in 2017. From September 4 through December 9, a total of 61 confirmed cases and 172 suspected cases were reported in different regions of the country. A large 75

percent of cases were seen in men aged 21-40 years old, and a single death was recorded. The death was confirmed in an immune-compromised patient who was not receiving proper treatment for

the disease. In 2017, cases were recorded in clusters, likely where people were having sustained interactions with rodents and primates carrying the disease, or due to spread because of

close interactions. HOW DANGEROUS IS MONKEYPOX? Monkeypox is a disease similar to Chickenpox or Smallpox, an incredibly deadly - but now eradicated - disease. While Monkeypox is more deadly

than diseases like Chickenpox, it can be potentially fatal, with 10 percent of people succumbing as a result. In a previous 2003 outbreak in the United States, out of a total 73 confirmed

cases, there were no deaths reported by health authorities however. In the UK, chances of spreading or deaths remain low as authorities treat those affected.