Reductions in sexual mixing ended mpox outbreak in England, while vaccination has prevented resurgences in 2023

Press release issued: 11 September 2023

The rapid outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in 2022 likely resulted from high levels of sexual mixing among some gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), with the initial downturn in cases probably due to a reduction in sexual contacts among these men, according to new research led by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation. The HPRU is a partnership between the University of Bristol and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The project describes the results of mathematical modelling, funded by the NIHR, to understand the epidemiological characteristics of the mpox outbreak in England, and what contributed to the outbreak ending, to help prevent and control future outbreaks.

Read the full University of Bristol news story

'Mathematical modelling of the transmission dynamics and impact of control measures in the 2022 outbreak of mpox among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in England' by Xu-Sheng Zhang, Sema Mandal, Hamish Mohammed, Professor Peter Vickerman et al. in The Lancet Infectious Diseases