A confirmed case of monkeypox has been reported in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency. At present, the patient has been admitted to the specialist isolation ward of St Thomas’ Hospital in London for treatment.
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection known to have symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients, such as fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. While most patients are usually mildly ill and recover relatively quickly, some may develop more severe symptoms and even die.
It is understood that the patient had travelled to Nigeria before travelling to the UK. Dr Brown said: “We are working with organisations such as the NHS to reach out to people who had been in close contact with this patient to assess their health and provide advice where necessary.”
< The Home Office has stressed that the infection is usually a "mild self-limiting disease" that is rarely transmitted to others. Dr Colin Brown, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at the Home Office, said in a statement: "It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily from person to person and the overall risk to the public is very low." /p>
Since the discovery of monkeypox in 1970, confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 African countries including Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although the natural host for monkeypox has not been identified, humans are usually infected with the virus through contact with rodents or monkeys, and the virus has also gradually been exported outside Africa. There have been cases of monkeypox infection in the UK as early as September 2018 and December 2019. In 2021, two members of the same family were also diagnosed with monkeypox at the same time in the UK.
Jinpai News Intern Reporter Chen Mengting
