After a week-on-week rise in positive tests over the past month, the fall reported on Thursday suggests the outbreak might be starting to decline in Europe.

Cases in the Americas now account for 60 per cent of all infections while cases in Europe were around 38 per cent. First time cases in Iran and Indonesia mean the number of countries who have seen monkeypox has now reached 98 since April.

The UK has downgraded the severity of the outbreak which health officials have said it has only been seen to be transmitted between men who have had sex with men.

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Covid-19 cases, meanwhile, have fallen in every worldwide region – the total number of deaths is down by 15 per cent and new infections have fallen by 9 per cent.

In its weekly assessment, the UN has said last week there were 5.3 million new cases and more than 14,000 deaths reported.

In England, 30,318 have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past seven days – a drop of more than 10,000 from the previous week. Forty-two million have now had at least two vaccines.

The Department for Health has been approached for further comment.