Monkeypox: third case reported in the UK in a health worker



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The last case is that of a health care worker who had treated a patient at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, in northern England, before they were diagnosed.

Earlier this month, two people were reportedly diagnosed with monkeypox in the United Kingdom in unrelated cases, both of whom contracted the disease in Nigeria before traveling to England.

One was a Nigerian resident in Cornwall, followed by the case at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

"This health worker has treated the patient before a diagnosis of monkeypox is made," said Dr. Nick Phin, deputy director of the National Infection Department at the EPS.

"We actively followed contacts for 21 days after exposure to detect anyone with a disease so they could be assessed quickly, so it's not totally unexpected that one case has been identified . "

The last patient was isolated to reduce the risk of transmission to others, receiving treatment in a specialized unit of the Royal Newcastle Infirmary in the UK, according to PHE, who said he followed the close contacts of the United Kingdom. health worker and anyone who had contact with them 24 hours before they noticed a rash.

Nigeria investigates rare cases of monkeypox in the UK

"This person has been isolated and we take a very preventive approach to make sure all contacts are well established," said Phin.

"The fact that only one of the fifty contacts of the first patient infected with monkeypox has been infected shows how infectious the virus is." commented Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham. "It is wrong to think that we are on the brink of a national epidemic."

According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is a rare viral infection, similar to human smallpox, that typically manifests in remote areas of central and western Africa.

The virus is mainly transmitted to humans by infected wild animals, such as rodents or monkeys, but can be transmitted from person to person.

Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and rashes. People usually recover within a few weeks, although this can lead to serious illness in some cases. The mortality rates are between 1% and 10% and there is no specific treatment or vaccine against the disease.

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