According to the UK Health Security Agency, a person in England has been diagnosed with the monkeypox virus.
The patient had recently travelled to Nigeria, where they are believed to have contracted the virus before arriving in the UK, according to the health agency.
They are now being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust’s expert infectious disease unit in London.
According to the NHS, monkeypox is a rare viral infection that most people recover from in a few weeks.
According to the UKHSA, monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the risk to the general public is very low.
In an update published on Saturday, the health agency said: “As a precautionary measure, UKHSA experts are working closely with NHS colleagues and will be contacting people who might have been in close contact with the individual to provide information and health advice.”
The first-ever recorded occurrence of the virus in the UK was in 2018, and since then a handful of cases have been confirmed by health authorities.
According to the UKHSA, the initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
A rash can appear, usually starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and progresses through several stages before forming a scab that eventually falls off.
It can be passed on through close contact with an infected person. The virus can enter the body through open wounds, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, or mouth.