UK officials: 4 men infected with “rare” monkeypox in London

LONDON (AP) — British health authorities say they have identified four “rare and unusual” cases of the disease monkeypox among men who appear to have been infected in London and had no history of travel to the West African countries where the smallpox-like disease is endemic. In a statement Monday, the U.K.’s Health Security Agency said an investigation had begun into how the men became infected and whether they had any links to each other. Three of the men are in London and one is in northeast England. All of the men identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men. Last week, Britain reported three earlier cases of monkeypox, two who lived in the same household and the other who had a travel history to Nigeria.