The United Kingdom's health authorities have identified a case of monkeypox, a virus transmitted from sick animals such as rats to humans, in a person who recently traveled to Nigeria and is suspected to have contracted it.Monkeypox
is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people. It is usually a mild "self-limiting illness" that most people recover from in a few weeks. In some circumstances, however, severe sickness may develop.
On Saturday, Dr. Colin Brown, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at the UKHSA, said, "It is important to emphasize that monkeypox does not travel easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is quite low."
We're working with NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) to call those who had close contact with the case before the illness was confirmed, to assess them and provide them with guidance.
"The UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and rigorous infection control procedures for dealing with incidents of imported infectious disease, which will be scrupulously adhered to," he said.
Dr. Nicholas Price, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital, said the patient is being treated in a specialist isolation unit at St. Thomas Hospital by expert clinical personnel who are following stringent infection prevention procedures.