Rare case of monkeypox confirmed in UK

One person in the United Kingdom has been diagnosed with the rare viral disease “monkeypox.”

The person, according to reports recently traveled to Nigeria and is suspected of being infected with the virus, which can be passed on to humans by infected animals such as rodents.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not easily spread between people, according to the UK Health Security Agency. It is usually a mild “self-limiting illness” that most people recover from within a few weeks. In some cases, however, severe illness may occur.

According to Dr. Nicholas Price, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospital, the patient is being treated in a specialist isolation unit at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital by expert clinical staff following strict infection prevention procedures.

UKHSA experts said they are working closely with England’s state-funded National Health Service to provide information and health advice to people who may have had close contact with the individual as a precautionary measure. This includes contacting a number of passengers who were on the same flight as the patient to the United Kingdom.

Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A rash can appear, usually starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and progresses through several stages before forming a scab, which eventually falls off.

The virus can spread when someone comes into close contact with an infected person. A break in the skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, and mouth are all possible entry points for the virus.

People without symptoms are not considered infectious, according to the UKHSA, but those who were in close proximity to the infected passenger are being contacted as a precaution so that they can be treated quickly if they become ill.

The virus was first discovered in the UK in 2018, and only a few cases have been confirmed by health authorities since then.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. The first human infection was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.