WA has had its first case of monkey pox after a person with the infectious disease spent four days in the community during a visit to Perth last month.
Through contact tracing, health authorities have since confirmed that there have been no secondary cases and that the person’s close contacts – one higher risk and four lower risk – remain good.
The case was contagious in WA for four days before flying to the UK, where they were diagnosed three days later.
It was WA Health’s first contact tracing of a contagious case in WA.
WA Health has previously helped with contact tracing for cases diagnosed in other states by locating people in WA who may have had contact with the patient, such as if they had been on the same flight.
No cases of monkeypox have been identified in Western Australia.
Jelena Maticevic, acting director of the Directorate for Communicable Disease Control, said the visitor was not at risk to the public. Still, people traveling abroad should be aware of Monkeypox and its symptoms.
“Monkeypox does not spread easily among humans. It is spread through close contact with an infected person or animal or with material contaminated with the virus,” she said.
Camera IconMonkeypox is spread through close contact with an infected person or animal or with material contaminated with the virus. File image. Credit: AP
The first case of Monkeypox was confirmed in Australia on May 20, and seven more points have been discovered since then – five in NSW and three in Victoria. Most of those with the disease had traveled abroad.
Early symptoms of the rare virus include fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. A telltale rash — which can last for weeks and often begins as flat red lesions that fill with fluid — follows.
“People with monkeypox should isolate and avoid contact with others while they are contagious,” said Dr. Maticevic.
“We ask clinicians to remain vigilant and watch for signs of the virus.”
Although Monkeypox recovers in most cases within two to four weeks, a small percentage of patients develop serious illness.
It is believed that young children, pregnant women, and people with suppressed immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness.
Camera icon WHO will convene an emergency committee to assess whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern. Credit: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee next week to assess whether the monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern.
That is the highest alert level, which only applies to the COVID-19 pandemic and polio.
There are 1,600 confirmed and 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox and 72 deaths in 39 countries this year.
Monkeypox is endemic to Central and West Africa but has been found in other locations recently, including Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Asia.
It comes amid a push to rename Monkeypox after experts raised concerns about stigma and racism surrounding the virus’ “discriminatory” name.
In a position paper, a group of 30 scientists called for a name that “minimizes unnecessary negative effects on nations, geographic regions, economies, and people and that takes into account the evolution and spread of the virus”.
WA Health advises anyone who develops symptoms, especially if they have recently traveled abroad or been in contact with a case, to call their primary care physician for a telehealth appointment or to seek care at the nearest hospital.
If you go to the hospital, it is important to call ahead and wear a mask.
More information can be found here.
– with Reuters