UK health authorities on Monday said they had detected 36 more cases of monkeypox in England and the first infection in Scotland.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the new cases took the total number of confirmed in England since May 7 to 56, but stressed that although the outbreak was concerning, the risk to Britons remained low.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government was looking carefully at the circumstances surrounding its transmission.
"It is basically a very rare disease and so far the consequences don’t seem to be very serious but it is important that we keep an eye on it," Johnson told reporters.