Tell-tale signs of monkeypox disease, from raging fever to oozing blisters
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A rare virus that has struck someone in the UK has several tell-tale signs which you can look out for, including exhaustion and muscle aches, according to expert advice.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on the weekend that a person who had travelled into the country from Nigeria has been hospitalised with monkeypox.
The virus can spread from animals to humans and can leave people with a raging fever and oozing blisters.
It was first discovered in dozens of monkeys in a lab in Denmark more than six decades ago and has previously sparked an outbreak in the UK in 2018.
Last year, a person contracted the disease abroad before they passed it onto someone in the same house in South Wales, reports The Sun.
Following an announcement on Saturday (May 7), doctors are treating the monkeypox victim at Guy's Hospital in London, in what is only the sixth time the disease has ever been confirmed in Britain.
UKHSA and the NHS are now working together to track down anyone who could have been close enough to the patient to become infected.
According to the NHS website, patients can expect to wait between 5 to 21 days before the first symptoms start to show.
Those signs include high temperature, a headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering (chills) and exhaustion.
One major indication is a rash which tends to appear within 1 to 5 days following the first symptoms. It usually starts off on the face and then moves on to other parts of the body.
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It can sometimes be mistaken for chickenpox and starts as raised spots before transforming into grim small blisters which are filled with fluid.
The symptoms normally take around 2 to 4 weeks to clear and are usually mild for most people.
However, infected people usually need to stay in a specialist hospital to prevent the disease from being passed on to others.
Travellers are urged to book an immediate appointment with the GP or dial NHS on 111 if they have recently returned from West or Central Africa.
Officials have previously warned that the Central African monkeypox virus strain tends to be more likely to be fatal compared to the West African strain.
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It is uncommon to catch the disease from someone with the infection as it is difficult to spread between people.
But, it can be passed on through various methods such as touching skin blisters or scabs, as well as infected clothing, bedding or towels.
It has also been highlighted that it can be caught through the infected person sneezing or coughing.
Monkeypox can easily be avoided by thoroughly washing your hands and only eating meat that has been cooked properly.
During the UK outbreak in 2018, more than 50 people were warned that they could have been exposed to the virus.
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It was previously reported that an NHS nurse caught it while changing the bedsheets of a patient in a hospital.
She believes her "pathetically small" protective gloves failed to act as a prevention measure.
The Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections addressed the UK's latest case and said: "It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low.
"We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) to contact the individuals who have had close contact with the case prior to confirmation of their infection, to assess them as necessary and provide advice."
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