Health

Monkeypox: Blackpool healthcare worker becomes third in England to be diagnosed with rare infection



A healthcare worker has become the third person in England to be diagnosed with monkeypox.

Public Health England (PHE) confirmed the person contracted the rare disease after caring for a patient who was later diagnosed with the illness at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

The latest patient has been isolated and is being looked after in the specialist unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

The symptoms of monkeypox, an infectious virus, include developing a fever, swollen glands and extensive blistering on the skin, as well as muscle aches, headaches and exhaustion.

Dr Nick Phin, deputy director of PHE’s National Infection Service, said: “This healthcare worker cared for the patient before a diagnosis of monkeypox was made. We have been actively monitoring contacts for 21 days after exposure to detect anyone presenting with an illness so that they can be assessed quickly. It is therefore not wholly unexpected that a case has been identified.

“This person has been isolated and we are taking a highly precautionary approach to ensure that all contacts are traced.”

The first two cases of monkeypox both involved people who had travelled to Nigeria, with one case in Cornwall as well as Blackpool.

Dr Phin added: “We know that in September 2017 Nigeria experienced a large sustained outbreak of monkeypox and since then sporadic cases have continued to be reported. It is likely that monkeypox continues to circulate in Nigeria and could, therefore, affect travellers who are returning from this part of the world.

“However, it is very unusual to see two cases in such a relatively short space of time. We are working hard to contact individuals, including healthcare workers, that might have come into contact with the individual to provide information and health advice.”

An early case of monkeypox from Liberia, pictured in 1971 (CDCP)

Dr Mike Beadsworth, clinical director of the Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit said: “We are treating a patient who has tested positive for monkeypox. The patient is being cared for on our specialist infectious and tropical diseases unit, by highly trained staff who are experienced in dealing with a variety of infectious diseases.”

Monkeypox is a very rare viral infection that does not spread easily between humans, but is more likely from contact with “bush meat” or wild game. Most people recover within a few weeks, but some can have much more severe reactions.

The infection can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person, but there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population, PHE said.

A rash can develop in those affected, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

The World Health Organisation said monkeypox was first documented in humans in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, soon after smallpox was eliminated in the area.

Since then, the majority of cases have been reported in rural, rainforest regions of the Congo Basin and western Africa, usually due to handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels, and often resulting from eating inadequately cooked meat.

There was an outbreak in the US in 2003 when pet prairie dogs were infected by African rodents which had been imported into the country.



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