NHS worker becomes third case of monkeypox diagnosed in the UK

27 September 2018, 11:46 | Updated: 27 September 2018, 12:19

The first two cases were contracted by people who had visited Nigeria.

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

The unnamed 40-year-old female is bring treated in isolation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

She contracted the disease after changing the bedsheets of a former patient at Blackpool Victoria Hospital who was later diagnosed with the rare condition.

The healthcare worker now fears that she has now passed on monkeypox to her 50-year-old husband according to reports by The Sun.

The newspaper claims that the worker told a pal: "They told us we weren't at risk - but that's obviously nonsense. I'm terrified about what may happen to me and my family."

Her husband is said to have recently discovered an outbreak of spots on his face after waking up in the morning.

The first two cases of monkeypox diagnosed in the UK are still being treated.

There is no known connection between the two individual cases, except that they'd both spent time in Nigeria before travelling to England.

MONKEYPOX: What is it and what symptoms should I look out for?

The rare viral disease occurs primarily in remote parts of central and west Africa, especially in areas near to tropical rainforests.

It bares similarities to human smallpox - a disease which was eradicated in 1980. Monkeypox is a milder condition than smallpox, but it still stands the chance of being fatal in severe instances.

Most people will make a recovery in just a few weeks provided treatment is administered swiftly.

Initial symptoms of the disease include fever, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

A rash can spread from the face and down to other parts of the body. Going through different stages, it will eventually form a scab and later fall off with lesions causing discomfort in the interim.

Most cases of the monkeypox virus are transmitted to humans from various wild animals including rodents and primates.

Treatment and vaccines for monkeypox.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for a monkeypox infection but the outbreaks can be controlled.

Prior vaccination against smallpox will most likely result in a milder case of monkeypox.