Mpox has been declared an international emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – and our map shows where suspected cases have been diagnosed in England, with a concentration in the country’s capital.
An upsurge of cases of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African nations has been a “public health emergency of international concern”, according to WHO.
This is the same classification used in the past for Covid-19, Ebola outbreaks, and the 2022 outbreak of mpox in Europe.
Professor Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s Emergency Committee, said the rise in cases – along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the mpox virus – “is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire globe”.
According to our interactive map, based on suspected cases identified by GPs in the last 52 weeks, London is the hotspot for suspected mpox cases, especially in Lambeth with 10 diagnoses and Southwark with eight.
Cases have also emerged in Manchester, Suffolk, and Yorkshire.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It can cause flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, and a skin rash or pus-filled lesions that can last two to four weeks.
It can be passed on through contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals.
There are broadly two different strains of mpox, known as “clades”. Clade I, the strain currently sweeping across Africa, is considered the more dangerous.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in 2023 and 2024 there were 269 cases of mpox in England. Of those, 116 infections were presumed to have been acquired in the UK, 82 were picked up abroad, and 71 are currently awaiting classification.
So far, none of the cases seen in the UK have been of the clade I strain of mpox causing international concern in Africa.
Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director at UKHSA, said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low. However, planning is underway to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK.
“This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.
“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying”, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added.
“On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
