JUNE 2: Although anyone can contract the virus, 111 of 183 cases in England are in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men.
Monkeypox is not sexually transmitted but passed on through close contact - UK officials say no one factor linking the cases has been identified.
LGBT groups and events are being urged to help share public health messages.
People are being reminded to look out for new spots, ulcers or blisters on any part of their body, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner.
They should also limit their contact with others and contact NHS 111 or their local sexual health service as soon as possible by phone.
Symptoms are usually mild and clear up on their own within three weeks.
Since the start of May, 183 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in England, four in Scotland, two in Northern Ireland and one in Wales - 190 in total.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has given more information on those affected in the current outbreak for the first time.
The outbreak is unusual because not all cases are linked to travel with countries where monkeypox is always present, like west and central Africa. Instead, the virus is being passed from person to person in the UK.
In England, 86% of those infected live in London and only two are women. Most are aged 20 to 49.
The UKHSA said 18% of confirmed cases in England had recently travelled to a number of different countries in Europe, up to three weeks before they developed symptoms.
Health officials are contacting people who may be high-risk contacts of those cases, and advising some to isolate at home for up to 21 days.
A vaccine against monkeypox, called Imvanex, is also being offered to some close contacts, such as healthworkers, to reduce the risk of them developing the infection or becoming ill.
Scientists are no clearer to understanding what is behind the recent outbreak of monkeypox cases, but there are suggestions the virus has been spreading from person to person for some time undetected.
UKHSA said links to gay bars, saunas and the use of dating apps in the UK and abroad have been identified in some cases so far.
It said it was working with the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and the British HIV Association, the Terrence Higgins Trust, Stonewall and dating app Grindr, to communicate with sexual health services and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
'Risk of stigma'
Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for public health said: "Monkeypox can affect anyone but we know that many of the most recent diagnoses are in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, many of whom live in, or have links to London.
"We're reminding everyone of the symptoms of monkeypox, and especially gay and bisexual men in particular, to be especially aware and seek advice immediately by calling NHS111 or their local sexual health clinic if they have concerns.
He added: "As with any new disease outbreak, the risk of stigma and uncertainty is great.
"This is why we're working side by side with the NHS, sexual health, voluntary and community sector organisations in London to share accurate information about monkeypox - especially to people and groups at increased risk - through representative voices."
Dr Meera Chand, from UKHSA, said she was "grateful to everyone who has come forward for testing".
More than 30 countries worldwide outside of Africa have also been affected by similar outbreaks, and more than 550 confirmed cases of the viral disease have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO emergencies director, Dr Mike Ryan, warned that climate change was changing weather conditions, which was having an impact on animal and human behaviour, including food-seeking habits.
As a result, he said, diseases which typically circulate in animals are increasingly jumping into humans.
"Unfortunately, that ability to amplify the disease and move it on within our communities is increasing - so both disease emergence and disease amplification factors have increased," Dr Ryan said.
With inputs from BBC
DEC 31: A government statement said the Omicron variant, while highly transmissible, had seen lower hospitalisation rates than previous waves.
There had been a marginal increase in the number of deaths, it added.
The variant - first reported by South Africa last month - is spreading fast elsewhere leading to widespread curbs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a "tsunami" of infections from Delta and Omicron variants that could overwhelm health systems.
But in South Africa, a statement released after a special cabinet meeting said cases and hospital admission rates had dropped in almost all provinces across the country.
For the week ending 25 December 2021, the number of confirmed infections stood at 89,781 - down from 127,753 the week before.
The changes announced include lifting restrictions on movement between midnight and 04:00. Businesses will also be allowed to sell alcohol under normal licensing rules, instead of closing at 23:00.
Overnight curfew rules of varying severities have been in place since a national state of disaster was declared in late March 2020.
The country still has "spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services" despite the Omicron wave, officials said.
The public are still being urged to get vaccinated and follow public health protocols, including mandatory mask-wearing.
Gatherings remain capped at 1,000 people indoors and 2,000 outdoors or 50% at venue capacity to allow for social distancing.
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will monitor the situation and make adjustments if necessary or if hospital pressure increases, officials said.
South Africa has recorded almost 3.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 90,000 deaths during the pandemic.
Many countries around the world are battling the Omicron wave while weighing up restrictions:
1) Israel has approved a fourth Covid-19 vaccination, the director-general of its health ministry said. The country reported its highest number of cases since September on Thursday
2) France has reported more than 200,000 cases for a second day in a row
3) In India, a spike in Covid infections has prompted the government to tighten restrictions, including night curfews in all major cities
4) Germany has announced it will lift strict travel rules for people arriving from countries hardest hit by Omicron in early January, including the UK
5) Portugal has reduced the period of self-isolation for asymptomatic Covid and contact cases from 10 to seven days
DECEMBER 15: Cases of the heavily mutated variant have been confirmed in 77 countries.
But at a press conference, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was probably in many others that had yet to detect it.
Dr Tedros said he was concerned that not enough was being done to tackle the variant.
"Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems," he said.
The Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa in November, and the country has since seen a surge in infections. President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for Covid-19, and is currently isolating with mild symptoms.
A number of countries have introduced travel bans affecting South Africa and its neighbours following the emergence of Omicron, but this has failed to stop it from spreading around the world.
In the press conference on Tuesday, Dr Tedros reiterated concerns about vaccine inequity, as some countries accelerate rollouts of a booster shot in response to Omicron.
Recent studies of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine showed it produced far fewer neutralising antibodies against Omicron than against the original strain, but that this deficit could be reversed by a third, booster, jab.
Dr Tedros said boosters "could play an important role" in curbing the spread of Covid-19, but that it was "a question of prioritisation".
"The order matters. Giving boosters to groups at low risk of severe disease or death simply endangers the lives of those at high risk who are still waiting for their primary doses because of supply constraints," he said.
Supplies to the global vaccine-sharing programme Covax have increased in recent months. But world health officials fear a repeat of a shortfall of tens of millions of doses which occurred in the middle of this year, partly as a result of India suspending exports during a surge in cases there.
In poorer countries, some vulnerable people are yet to receive a single dose.
GENEVA, Dec 1: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, even as dozens of countries have already introduced such restrictions.
Although labeling Omicron as a "variant of concern", the WHO said blanket travel bans will only place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, while also "disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data."
The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO by South Africa last week. So far, several countries and regions have confirmed cases of infection with Omicron.
"It is expected that the Omicron variant will be detected in an increasing number of countries as national authorities step up their surveillance and sequencing activities," WHO said in an updated travel advice.
As of Nov. 28, 56 countries were reportedly implementing travel measures aimed at potentially delaying the importation of the new variant, according to the WHO.
At a member states session on the Omicron variant on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Botswana and South Africa for detecting and reporting this variant so rapidly. It is deeply worrying that these countries were being penalized by others for doing the right thing, he said.
He called the "blunt, blanket measures" introduced by some member states "not evidence-based or effective on their own." He urged countries to take "rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the International Health Regulations."
Meanwhile, the WHO advised that persons "who are unwell, or who have not been fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are at increased risk of developing severe disease and dying, including people 60 years of age or older or those with comorbidities that present increased risk of severe COVID-19 (e.g. heart disease, cancer and diabetes) should be advised to postpone travel to areas with community transmission."
"Studies are ongoing to understand more about these mutations (of the Omicron variant) and their impact on transmissibility, virulence, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines," it said.
GENEVA, Nov. 28: The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced early Saturday morning the postponement of its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) due to the surge of new COVID-19 variant in various countries.
An outbreak of a particularly transmissible strain of the COVID-19 virus has led several governments to impose travel restrictions that would have prevented many ministers from reaching Geneva, the organization said.
The MC12 was due to take place from Tuesday to Friday in Geneva. No date has been set for the rescheduling of the conference.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classified on Friday the latest variant B.1.1.529 of SARS-CoV-2, which was first reported from South Africa, as a "Variant of Concern," and asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts.
"Given these unfortunate developments and the uncertainty that they cause, we see no alternative but to propose to postpone the Ministerial Conference and reconvene it as soon as possible when conditions allow," said the chair of the WTO General Council, Dacio Castillo.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the travel constraints amid concerns over the new COVID-19 variant meant that many ministers and senior delegates could not have participated in face-to-face negotiations at the conference, which would render participation on an equal basis impossible.
She added that many delegations have long maintained that meeting virtually does not offer the kind of interaction necessary for holding complex negotiations on politically sensitive issues.
"This has not been an easy recommendation to make ... But as Director-General, my priority is the health and safety of all MC12 participants -- ministers, delegates and civil society. It is better to err on the side of caution," she said, noting that the postponement would continue to keep the WTO in line with Swiss regulations.
The latest announcement of WTO marks the second time that the pandemic has forced a postponement of the 12th Ministerial Conference. The meeting was originally due to take place in June 2020 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
