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Monkeypox infects 10% of people who come into contact with sufferers

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Deadly disease monkeypox infects 10% of people who come into contact with sufferers

Deadly disease monkeypox infects 10% of people who come into contact with sufferers: Professor warns hospital staff may be most at risk while they battle the first UK case EVER

  • Monkeypox was recorded in Nigerian national staying at naval base in Cornwall 
  • He was transferred to the infectious disease unit at Royal Free Hospital, London 
  • Monkeypox, which causes skin lesions, is fatal in up to 10% of cases 
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A professor has warned the life-threatening tropical disease monkeypox infects 10 per cent of people who come into contact with sufferers.

Public Health England (PHE) confirmed over the weekend that an unnamed man has been diagnosed with the condition in the first ever case in the UK. 

Earl Brown, a professor of virology at Brown University, told MailOnline hospital staff treating the patient at the Royal Free Hospital, London, are particularly at risk of catching the deadly virus.

The infected man was staying at a naval base in Cornwall and is believed to have caught the infection in his native Nigeria before he traveled to the UK.

Monkeypox, which causes chickenpox-like lesions, is fatal in up to 10 per cent of cases.  


A professor has warned the life-threatening tropical disease monkeypox infects 10 per cent of people who come into contact with sufferers. Image shows the characteristic infected nodules of a patient and is not a picture of the infected unnamed man receiving treatment in the UK


Image shows a stock picture of a monkeypox patient. Symptoms typically start as a rash that develops into skin lesions that later scab and drop off. These can be infectious

WHAT IS MONKEYPOX?

Monkeypox is a rare disease that occurs when a person becomes infected with the virus of the same name.

The condition was first seen in monkeys used for research in 1958, with the first reported human case in the Democratic Republic of Congo is 1970.

It was recorded for the first time in the US in 2003 and the UK in September 2018. 

Monkeypox typically occurs when a person comes to contact with an animal, usually a rodent; or a human that is infected with the virus.

The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose or mouth.

Person-to-person transmission can occur if somebody used the bedding or towel of an infected person, comes into direct contact with a skin lesion, or is exposed to droplets from a patient coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms usually appear within five and 21 days of infection. These include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Chills 
  • Fatigue

The most obvious symptom is a rash, which usually appears on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. This then forms skin lesions that scab and fall off.

Monkeypox is usually mild, with most patients recovering within a few weeks without treatment.

Yet, the disease is deadly in up to 10 per cent of cases, particularly if a young person is affected.

Source: Gov.uk

Professor Brown told MailOnline: ‘Ten per cent of people who come into contact with an infected person become unwell; it’s not insignificant. 

‘The virus is spread in saliva, and also in urine and faeces.

‘The risk of medical staff getting ill is high.’

According to a PHE statement released last Saturday: ‘The infection can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person; however there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population.’

Hospital patients and staff may therefore be particularly at risk.  

Further information on the patient’s state has not been released, however, PHE is working with the NHS to ensure those who may have been in contact with the man are unaffected. 

This includes reaching out to those who were travelling on the same flight as the patient from Nigeria to the UK. 

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 our staff and patients.’

Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of the National Infection Service at PHE, added: ‘It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low. 

‘Public Health England is following up those who have had close contact with the patient to offer advice and to monitor them as necessary. 

‘PHE and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed to minimise the risk of transmission.’


Monkeypox can be spread via direct contact with an infected skin lesion (stock image)


The unnamed patient, who is the first ever case of monkeypox in the UK, was transferred to the infectious disease unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London (pictured) on Saturday morning

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