Monkeypox cases

British health authorities say they have identified four “rare and unusual” cases of the disease monkeypox among men who appear to have been infected in London and had no history of travel to the African countries where the smallpox-like disease is endemic. In a statement yesterday, the UK’s Health Security Agency said an investigation had begun into how the men became infected. Three of the men are in London and one is in northeast England. All of the men identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men. Last week, Britain reported three earlier cases of monkeypox, including two people who lived in the same household and the other who had previously travelled to Nigeria.