The number of monkeypox cases in England has risen by 11 it was announced today, bringing the total amount of infections in the UK to 190.
Just over three weeks since the first UK case was confirmed, the number has steadily increased since with yesterday seeing the biggest increase in case numbers.
The number of cases in England stands at 183, with four confirmed cases in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.
Dr Ruth Milton, senior medical advisor at UKHSA, said: "The risk to the general public from monkeypox is still low, but it’s important that we work to limit the virus being passed on. We remind people that they should be alert to new spots, ulcers or blisters on any part of their body.
"If anyone suspects they might have these, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner, they should limit their contact with others and contact NHS 111 or their local sexual health service as soon as possible, though please phone ahead before attending in person.
"UKHSA health protection teams are contacting people considered to be high-risk contacts of confirmed cases and are advising those who have been risk assessed and remain well to isolate at home for up to 21 days."
The first new monkeypox case was confirmed in the UK on May 7.
The virus has been considered endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo since it first appeared in the 1970s.
In recent weeks, over 300 cases have been detected in Europe and the west, causing alarm in these countries.
This comes after yesterday health chiefs told monkeypox patients to stop having sex to avoid spreading the virus.
They said current evidence indicates it does not spread through genital fluids but physical contact.
The UKHSA advised any Brits with the virus to stop having sex immediately and said sufferers should wait until their lesions have healed and scabs have dried off, before becoming sexually active again.
They also recommend using a condom for eight weeks.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation warned that the current case numbers could just represent the "peak of the iceberg".
Speaking last week at the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Friday, pandemic preparedness and prevention chief Sylvie Briand said: "We don’t know if we are just seeing the peak of the iceberg [or] if there are many more cases that are undetected in communities.
“We are still at the very, very beginning of this event. We know that we will have more cases in the coming days,” she said.
