MEDICS are urging people at risk of monkeypox to get vaccinated, following a rise in the number of cases discovered.
Latest figures suggest eight new infections were diagnosed in the UK between June 1 and 30.
Watch out for these seven symptoms
The majority of cases (7) were discovered in England, while one was found in Scotland.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) there have been 28 infections recorded overall in the UK this year so far.
At its peak last year, mpox – previously known as monkeypox – was infecting 350 people per week, with the majority of cases amongst men who have sex with men.
Of the latest infections, 14 picked up the infection in the UK, 11 are thought to have acquired it while abroad and three remain under investigation to find the source of the bug.
Health experts are calling for people to be on the look out for symptoms and for those eligible to get jabbed.
Commenting on the new data, Dr Hamish Mohammed, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “While numbers of cases remain very low, we should not be complacent about mpox.
“We recently extended vaccinations for those in London, and I’d encourage all those eligible to come forward now.”
“Vaccination has played a crucial role in protecting people and reducing case numbers, and eligible people outside of London have until the end of this month to come forward for vaccination.
“While mpox infection is mild for many, it can cause severe symptoms so it’s important people protect themselves from infection.”
Mpox symptoms
People infected with monkeypox will usually start to experience symptoms five to 21 days after initial infection.
The NHS says the first symptoms are:
A high temperature
A headache
Muscle aches
Backache
Swollen glands
Shivering (chills)
Exhaustion
They added that a rash usually appears one to five days after the symptoms.
Monkeypox is a rare disease with most cases being found in Africa.
But there are currently outbreaks in Britain, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
It spreads between humans only through close contact.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox virus is similar to human smallpox and while it is much milder, it can be fatal.