A RARE virus that leaves humans with a raging fever and covered in oozing blisters was first found in dozens of monkeys in a laboratory in Denmark over 60 years ago.
Monkey pox, first discovered in 1958, is spread from animals to humans – and now the UK is “facing” a new epidemic of the disease.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave no details on where the cases were or how many they were – but the Sun has learned there are two cases in North Wales.
The person caught the horror virus abroad before passing it on to someone in the same house.
But this is not the first outbreak in the UK – in 2018, more than 50 people were warned they could have been exposed to the disease.
An NHS nurse caught the virus while changing a patient’s bed sheets in hospital, accusing “pathetically small” protective gloves.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 after two outbreaks of a smallpox-like disease in monkeys kept for research – hence the name monkeypox.
It was the Danish virologist Preben von Magnus who identified the naturally occurring smallpox infection in crab-eating macaques – the monkey species – fifty days after their arrival on a ship from Singapore.
More than 30 cases of the virus were reported in animals at the time – but none of the creatures died and there was no spread from apes to humans.
The first human case of viral zoonosis was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a nine-year-old boy.
The virus is spread through close physical contact and seeps into the body through broken skin, the World Health Organization warns.
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Transmission can occur through bodily fluids, cuts on the skin, respiratory droplets, or contaminated objects.
And since 1970, human cases of monkey pox have been reported in 11 African countries, mostly near tropical rainforests.
In the spring of 2003, cases were even confirmed in the United States.
The disease was also detected in Israel in September 2018, the UK in September 2018, December 2019 and June 2021, and Singapore in May 2019 – all from travelers who have visited Nigeria.
In Africa, monkey pox has been found in squirrels, poached Gambian rats, dormice and several different species of monkeys.
Fortunately, human-to-human transmission is relatively limited, according to the World Health Organization.
The incubation period for monkey pox is usually six to 13 days, but it can range from five to 21 days.
And symptoms usually last two to four weeks, but severe cases of the disease are more common in children, with a death rate of between one and 10 percent.
WHAT IS MONKEYPOX?
- Has a death rate between one and 10 percent
- The rare disease is caused by a virus
- Cases are mainly reported in Central and West Africa
- Infection is spread through close physical contact
- Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion
- A rash may develop, often starting on the face and then spreading
- The rash develops into a scab, which later falls off
- The rash may cause blindness or retinal scarring if it reaches the eyes
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Authorities warn that the Central African monkeypox virus strain is generally more severe – and more likely to be fatal – compared to the West African strain.
Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for the disease – but the smallpox vaccine offers about 85 percent protection, so a childhood smallpox vaccine could result in a milder case of the virus.
The two patients in the UK who contracted monkey pox have been admitted to a hospital in England, where one remains.
Both are being monitored by Public Health Wales and Public Health England, Hancock said.
Richard Firth, health protection consultant at Public Health Wales, said: “Confirmed cases of monkey pox are a rare event in the UK and the risk to the general public is very low.
“We worked with multi-agency colleagues, following proven protocols and procedures, and identified all close contacts. Actions have been taken to minimize the likelihood of a new infection.
“Monkey pox is a rare disease caused by the monkey pox virus and has been reported mainly in countries in Central and West Africa. “
Hancock said: “The tracing and isolation system was basically designed for very large but very small outbreaks.
“As the Secretary of Health, you are constantly faced with epidemics. I am currently facing an outbreak of monkey pox and cases of drug resistant tuberculosis. [tuberculosis].
“It’s absolutely standard. “
UK ‘faces’ monkey pox outbreak, reveals Matt Hancock
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