A patient has been diagnosed with monkeypox in England, it has been confirmed today. The UK Health Security Agency said it is believed the patient caught the infection in Nigeria before travelling to the UK.
The UKHSA said the rare viral infection does not spread easily between people. And while some people can become seriously ill with it, monkeypox is usually a mild self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks.
The patient is receiving care at the expert infectious disease unit at the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London. The infection can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person; however, there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population.
As a precautionary measure, UKHSA experts are working closely with NHS colleagues and will be contacting people who might have been in close contact with the individual to provide information and health advice. This includes contacting a number of passengers who travelled in close proximity to the patient on the same flight to the UK.
People without symptoms are not considered infectious but, as a precaution, those who have been in close proximity are being contacted to ensure that if they do become unwell they can be treated quickly. If passengers are not contacted then there is no action they should take.
Dr Colin Brown, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, said: "It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low.
"We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) to contact the individuals who have had close contact with the case prior to confirmation of their infection, to assess them as necessary and provide advice.
"UKHSA and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed."
Symptoms of monkeypox
If you get infected with monkeypox, it usually takes between five and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear, the NHS says. The first symptoms of monkeypox include:
- a high temperature
- a headache
- muscle aches
- backache
- swollen glands
- shivering (chills)
- exhaustion
A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body.
The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.
The symptoms usually clear up in 2 to 4 weeks.
How you catch monkeypox
Monkeypox can be caught from infected wild animals in parts of west and central Africa. It's thought to be spread by rodents, such as rats, mice and squirrels, the NHS says.
You can catch monkeypox from an infected animal if you're bitten or you touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters or scabs. It may also be possible to catch monkeypox by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been cooked thoroughly, or by touching other products from infected animals (such as animal skin or fur).
It's very uncommon to get monkeypox from a person with the infection because it does not spread easily between people. But it can be spread through:
- touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash
- touching monkeypox skin blisters or scabs
- the coughs or sneezes of a person with the monkeypox rash
