UK designates monkeypox as a notifiable disease

The UK Health Security Agency said monkeypox would be designated as a notifiable infectious disease from Wednesday, meaning doctors in England will have to notify local authorities when they suspect a patient has the virus.

"Rapid diagnosis and reporting is the key to interrupting transmission and containing any further spread of Monkeypox," Wendi Shepherd, Monkeypox incident director at UKHSA, said in a statement.

"This new legislation will support us and our health partners to swiftly identify, treat and control the disease." (Writing by William Schomberg; editing by William James)