PremiumAt least two cases of monkeypox have been identified in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, according to a statement by the World Health Organisation.
The public health officials health officials familiar with the developments said the initial case was acquired overseas and both the cases were identified in two people from the same household.
Follow-up is being undertaken for the contacts of the two cases for 21 days after their last exposure. No close contacts have travelled outside the United Kingdom following exposure.
Both people have been admitted to a hospital in England.
What is monkeypox?
According to the WHO, the Monkeypox virus is a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox. It usually occurs sporadically in forested parts of Central and West Africa.
Monkeypox can be transmitted by contact and droplet exposure via exhaled large droplets. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
The disease is often self-limiting with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14-21 days. Symptoms can be mild or severe, and lesions can be very itchy or painful. Milder cases of monkeypox may go unreported and represent a risk of person-to-person transmission.
There are two clades of monkeypox virus, the West African clade, and Congo Basin (Central African) clade. Although the West African clade of monkeypox virus infection sometimes leads to severe illness in some individuals, the disease is usually self-limiting. The case-fatality ratio for the West African clade has been documented to be around 1% whereas for the Congo Basin clade it may be as high as 10%.
Currently, in the United Kingdom, including these two cases, there have been only six cases of monkeypox reported, so far.
While a vaccine was approved for monkeypox in 2019, and traditional smallpox vaccine provides cross-protection for monkeypox, these vaccines are not widely available. There is likely to be little immunity to the infection in those exposed as endemic disease is geographically limited to West and Central Africa, the WHO said.
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