UK Monkeypox cases double, new cases in US, Australia, France, & more

New cases of the rare monkeypox virus first resurfaced in England, Spain, and Portugal from May 17th.

Outbreaks of the virus were first recorded in England, with officials warning of potential spread given the unknown origin and chains of transmission. Since then, cases have doubled in England to 20, and following cases appearing in Spain and Portugal, cases have also appeared in more European countries, including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Sweden.

Cases have also been reported in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The monkeypox virus is endemic to Africa, and cases are seldom seen outside of the region, though currently, at least 11 non-African countries have reported a combined 120+ confirmed and suspected cases of it.

More cases have been detected outside of Africa in the last week than have been seen since 1970, when the virus was first found to cause disease in humans. For Anne Rimoin, an epidemiologist at the University of California Los Angeles, "it's eye-opening to see this kind of spread."

Check out this article from Nature for more information on this story.

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