Australia could become the latest country to report a case of monkeypox disease, joining a growing list of nations impacted by the rare tropical illness.
NSW Health said on Friday it had detected a possible case of monkeypox in a man in his 40s who recently returned from Europe.
The man developed a mild illness several days after returning from Europe, with his GP assessing his symptoms to be similar to the disease.
Confirmation testing is underway, with the man and a household contact isolating at home, NSW Health said.
Victorians are also being warned about the disease, with state health authorities saying clinicians should consider testing for monkeypox in returned travellers with symptoms.
If the NSW case is confirmed, Australia will join Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal and the United States as nations already dealing with outbreaks.
Monkeypox occurs mainly in central and west Africa, often close to tropical rainforests, and is considered endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it was first discovered in humans in 1970.
The illness can be transmitted from person to person through air droplets, close bodily contact or sharing contaminated linens or objects.
Four countries in Africa - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria - have reported cases of monkeypox in 2022.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said monkeypox is a rare virus that does not spread easily between people.
"The infection is usually a mild illness and most people recover within a few weeks," she said.
The general public and health clinics should be aware and have unusual skin rashes examined by specialist staff, the World Health Organization said.
The WHO also called for vigorous contact tracing around the spate of cases.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said state health authorities were closely monitoring the developing situation.
"The advice I have is that it is a far less contagious condition than obviously COVID and things of that nature," Mr Morrison told reporters in Perth.
"We should be taking this seriously (but) at the same time I would say that no one should be alarmed at this point. We've got the best health authorities in the world."
- with DPA
