UK says signs of slowing monkeypox outbreak

U.K. health officials said the nationwide monkeypox outbreak is showing signs of slowing, but it's too early to tell if the decline will continue, the Associated Press reports. 

The U.K. Health Safety Agency said authorities are reporting 29 new cases of monkeypox each day, up from about 52 cases a day in the last week of June. In July, officials estimated that the outbreak doubled about every two weeks. To date, more than 3,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Britain, with more than 70 percent of the cases in London.

The agency also reported that more than 27,000 people had been vaccinated with a vaccine developed against smallpox.

It said the vast majority of cases were among nontraditional men, and that they, as well as their closest contacts and health workers, were the priority recipients of the vaccines.

British authorities said they have purchased 150,000 doses of the vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic, the world's only supplier. The first 50,000 doses have already arrived or will soon arrive at clinics around the country, and the next 100,000 vaccines are expected to arrive in September.