At least 1,450 monkeypox cases have been reported in more than 30 countries, according to a tally from official sources compiled by Reuters on Monday.
Monkeypox, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.
Britain reports 104 cases
Another 104 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in England, taking the national count to 470, the Health Security Agency said on Monday in a statement.
The agency told people in Britain to contact a sexual health clinic if they have a rash with blisters, and if in the past three weeks they have been in close contact, including sexual contact, with someone who has or might have monkeypox (even if they've not been tested yet), or have been to West or Central Africa.
"Anyone can get monkeypox, particularly if you have had close contact, including sexual contact, with an individual with symptoms," it said.
As of Sunday, there were currently 452 confirmed cases in England, 12 in Scotland, 4 in Wales and 2 in Northern Ireland, UNB reports citing AP.
The agency's updates highlighted the risks of the disease being spread, Paul Hunter, professor of medicine with the Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia, told Xinhua Saturday.
"Transmission of monkeypox seems to be almost exclusively being transmitted by close and intimate contact. So people should avoid contact with people who could be infected, especially if they have a rash," he said.
Hunter said he backed medical experts in the United States who warned that wearing a mask would have a negligible effect on monkeypox transmission.
On June 8, a new law declaring monkeypox as a legally notifiable disease came into force across Britain, meaning all doctors in England are required to notify their local council or local Health Protection Team about any suspected monkeypox cases.
49 cases in US
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are now 49 cases in 17 states in the United States. The state with the most is California, with 15, followed by New York with 11, and Illinois with eight.
Massachusetts, which had the first confirmed case in the United States in May, now confirmed two more cases of the virus, Chicago Tribune reports.
"Neither case reports a known link to the first case identified in Massachusetts," Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a press statement. The two cases occurred in adult men who reported having close contact with each other.
"Although monkeypox infections remain rare, and none of the close contacts from Massachusetts' first case developed monkeypox during their monitoring period, the CDC is reporting that cases continue to rise across the United States," said State Epidemiologist Catherine Brown, DVM, MPH.
The Venezuelan government said on Sunday it had recorded its first case of monkeypox in a man who entered the country though its principal airport near Caracas after arriving from Madrid.
