Rare viral infection Monkeypox continues to spread as two more UK cases confirmed

The monkeypox virus is spreading in the UK, health officials have said, after two more people were confirmed to have caught the virus. The pair live together in London, but are not linked to the previous confirmed case in England which was announced last week, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

One person is receiving care at the expert infectious disease unit at St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London. The other does not currently require hospital treatment, so is isolating at home. Health officials said they are investigating where and how the latest cases of monkeypox acquired their infection, reports the Mirror.

The UKHSA has provided some reassurances in that people who might have been in close contact with either case are being contacted and given health advice. Dr Colin Brown, director of clinical and emerging infections at the UKHSA, said: "We have confirmed two new monkeypox cases in England that are not linked to the case announced on May 7.

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"While investigations remain ongoing to determine the source of infection, it is important to emphasise it does not spread easily between people and requires close personal contact with an infected symptomatic person. The overall risk to the general public remains very low. We are contacting any potential friends, family or contacts in the community. We are also working with the NHS to reach any healthcare contacts who have had close contact with the cases prior to confirmation of their infection, to assess them as necessary and provide advice."

Professor Julian Redhead, medical director at Imperial College Healthcare