First outbreak outside of Africa

Beginning in May 2003 , 71 cases of human monkeypox were identified in six Midwestern US states . The outbreak began when a three year-old girl was bitten by a prairie dog ( a type of squirrel ) that had been infected by rats imported from Ghana . No deaths were reported .

Monkeypox travels

In the UK , the first cases of monkeypox were found in two individuals who had recently travelled from Nigeria . Public health authorities responded quickly to implement infection control ; of 134 potential contacts , only four became ill . Subsequent cases in Israel , Singapore and the US were also travel-related .

Monkeypox declared international public health emergency

The rapid spread of the virus across 69 nonendemic countries between May and July has caused the World Health Organisation to declare ‘ a public health emergency of international concern ’. As of the 25th July 2022 , there have been 18,095 cases with 75 deaths from 75 countries in the past year .

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