Timeline of the 2022–2023 mpox outbreak
The person developed a rash on 29 April while in Nigeria and flew back to the United Kingdom, arriving on 4 May,[2] and presented to hospital later the same day.
Mpox infection was immediately suspected, and the patient was hospitalised at Guy's Hospital[2] and isolated, then tested positive for the virus on 6 May.
[15] On 20 May, the US Department of Health and Human Services said the order was part of a standard preparedness effort and not a response to recent events.
A spokesperson said, "BARDA has worked with industry to develop and purchase vaccines and treatments for a potential smallpox emergency, some of which may also be used to respond to mpox.
"[16] Separately, Bavarian Nordic stated an unidentified European country had placed an order for "Imvanex" vaccines in response to the mpox outbreak.
[16] On 20 May, Health Secretary of the UK Sajid Javid reported that another eleven cases had been confirmed, bringing the total in the country to twenty.
[17] On the same day, Australia reported its first suspected case, in a man who fell ill after returning from travel in the UK.
[23] Also on 20 May, Belgium became the first country to introduce a mandatory quarantine for people infected with mpox (21 days).
Close contacts of infected people do not have to self-isolate, but are told to stay vigilant.
[24][25] In addition, Health Secretary of the UK Sajid Javid also reported that another eleven cases had been confirmed, bringing the total in the country to twenty.
[26] The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advised people who have had close contact with a person infected with mpox to self-isolate for 21 days.
[28][29] Spain reported 23 new cases linked to a gay bathhouse in Madrid, bringing the country's total to 30.
[41] On 24 May, the Czech Republic confirmed its first case, a woman who was at a music festival in Belgium at the beginning of May.
[42][43][44] On the same day, United Arab Emirates reported its first case, detected in a 29-year-old female visitor from West Africa.
[52] On the same day, Quebec reported a suspected case in a child of school age, in the Montreal area.
[53] Meanwhile, in the United States, an adult woman with a recent travel history to Africa became Virginia's first mpox case.
[54] On May 27, some countries began to use smallpox vaccines to protect people exposed to the monkeypox virus.
So we vaccinated people that had high-risk exposure in the last 14 days," said Dr. Genevieve Bergeron, Montreal's medical officer responsible for health emergencies and infectious diseases."
[62] On the same day, Malta also confirmed its first case in a 38-year-old male resident who was abroad in a country where the disease had been found.
On 23 June, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia and South Africa reported their first cases of mpox.
[81][82][83] The South African case is a 30-year-old male residing in the Gauteng province, which includes the executive capital, Pretoria.
On 23 July, the WHO declared the mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
