Scotland Records First Case Of Monkeypox

Scotland has recorded its first case of monkeypox, as more UK cases are set to be announced.

The person infected in Scotland is “being managed and treated in line with nationally agreed protocols and guidance”, according to Dr. Nick Phin, the medical and public health science director of Public Health Scotland.

Officials did not confirm details of the infected person, nor where they were located, but said close contacts were being traced and would be given support and possibly vaccination against the virus.

Cases of monkeypox have surged around the world in recent weeks after Britain first reported an outbreak to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 6 May.

Since then, the WHO has recorded more than 90 cases of the disease in a dozen countries including the UK, Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, the US, and Australia.

On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that 20 people in England had been confirmed to have the virus, with more expected to be announced on Monday.

Monkeypox is a disease usually linked to west Africa. The first case of the recent outbreak was in a person who had recently returned from Nigeria but, since subsequent cases were found without travel links, health officials think the virus is likely spreading within Britain.

An infectious diseases expert said superspreader events were likely behind the global surge in monkeypox cases. Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of Wellcome, said the latest outbreak differs from earlier ones as the virus has “spread across borders so quickly”.

The UKHSA has warned the public to be alert but said as monkeypox is a typically mild, self-limiting disease which is spread by physical contact, the risk posed to the general population is low.

A government minister on Monday said the outbreak was not a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic and noted there was a working vaccine available. The government advises anyone with symptoms or who has been in close contact with an infected person to isolate for 21 days.

Typical symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A blister-like rash or a small number of blister-like sores can also develop, starting on the face but spreading across the body.

The rash changes throughout the infection, finally forming a scab that falls off within weeks.

Many of the early cases were in gay or bisexual men, leading the UKHSA to warn such people, in particular, to be alert to any unusual rashes or lesions on any part of their body, especially their genitals.