Monkeypox: UK's first case of potentially fatal virus identified

Disease can cause severe illness but most people recover within a few weeks

Passengers on a flight to Britain from Nigeria this week are being contacted after the first ever case of a person in the UK suffering the infectious monkeypox disease was discovered.

The rare viral infection was found yesterday in a Nigerian citizen staying at a naval base in Cornwall, Public Health England (PHE) said.

The patient, who is believed to have contracted the infection in their home country before travelling to the UK, was taken to the expert infectious disease unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London on Saturday morning.

Monkeypox: the facts

• Monkeypox occurs primarily in remote parts of central and west Africa, near tropical rainforests
   
• It is similar to human smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980. Although monkeypox is much milder, it can be fatal
   
• The virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as primates but can spread from human to human
   
• The fatality rate is between 1 per cent and 10 per cent
  
  Source: World Health Organisation

Health officials said monkeypox does not spread easily and most patients recover within a few weeks, but it can cause severe illness in some people.

Initial symptoms include fever, headache, aching muscles, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

A rash can also develop, usually starting on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. It eventually forms a scab that falls off.

PHE said that as a precautionary measure, it was contacting a number of people who were on the same flight as the patient.

The victim is reported to be a Nigerian naval officer, although PHE has not revealed the victim’s identity.

The disease, which was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has mostly been spread on the African continent through the handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels, with rodents being the most likely source of the virus.

Eating inadequately cooked meat from infected animals is another possible risk factor, according to the World Health Organisation.

“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,” a PHE spokesperson said.

It’s believed those being contacted are passengers who were sitting close to the patient.

Passengers who are not contacted need take no action, officials said.

Dr Michael Jacobs, clinical director of infection at the Royal Free Hospital, said: “Monkeypox is, in most cases, a mild condition which will resolve on its own and have no long-term effects on a person’s health.

“Most people recover within several weeks. It is a rare disease caused by monkeypox virus, and has been reported mainly in central and west African countries.

“It does not spread easily between people and the risk of transmission to the wider public is very low. We are using strict isolation procedures in hospital to protect staff and patients.”

Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the national infection service at PHE, said: “PHE and the NHS have well established and robust infection-control procedures for dealing with cases of imported and infectious disease, and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission.”