The first case of the monkeypox virus has been confirmed in Ireland.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre was last night notified of the confirmed case in the east of the country. In a statement, the Health Service Executive said the person had not been hospitalised. It said this case was not unexpected following the presence of monkeypox cases in the UK and many European countries.
The HSE said that public health teams are now following up with people who were in close contact with the positive case while they were infectious. A further suspected case is also being investigated and test results are awaited.
Monkeypox, typically a mild viral infection, is endemic in African countries but its spread to non-endemic countries such as in Europe and the United States has raised concerns. So far, there are more than 200 confirmed or suspected cases in around 20 countries where the virus was not previously circulating.
Monkeypox is a virus that can cause symptoms including fever, aches, and presents with a distinctive bumpy rash. It is related to smallpox, but is usually milder, particularly the West African strain of the virus that was identified in a US case, which has a fatality rate of around 1%.
Most people fully recover in two to four weeks, the World Health Organization has said.
The virus is not as easily transmitted as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that spurred the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Experts believe the current monkeypox outbreak is being spread through close, intimate skin on skin contact with someone who has an active rash.
That should make its spread easier to contain once infections are identified, experts said.
The HSE has said that a public health risk assessment has been carried out and those who were in contact with the person are being advised on what to do if they become ill.
In the last few weeks, more than 200 cases of monkeypox have been detected in the UK, EU, North America, Australia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier this week, one case was reported in Northern Ireland.
In a statement, the HSE said that the vast majority of these cases do not have a travel link to a country where monkeypox is endemic and many of the cases were diagnosed in sexual health clinics and self-identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (gbMSM).
The HSE said that an incident management team is actively monitoring this "evolving international situation".
Monkeypox has been made a notifiable disease in Ireland, which means that doctors and laboratories are required by law to notify public health authorities of any cases of the virus in Ireland.
Source: RTE News.
Reputable information on monkeypox available at: https://mpower.hivireland.ie/monkeypox/