Multiple partners make monkeypox hard to trace

Public health officials are struggling to trace contacts of monkeypox cases because many had sexual contact with unknown partners in cruising grounds, sex clubs and during drug-fuelled sex sessions.

The first technical briefing for the disease concerned 45 confirmed cases. Nearly all (98 per cent) reported sex with other men during the incubation period and almost half reported more than 10 sexual partners in the previous three months, according to the UK Health and Security Agency.

A further 43 cases of monkeypox in England, one in Scotland and one in Wales were announced yesterday bringing the total number to 366.