First monkeypox case confirmed in Northern Ireland

The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Northern Ireland, health officials have said.

No further details have been provided to protect patient confidentiality but the North’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, said it was not surprising given the cases reported elsewhere. There are now believed to be 79 cases of monkeypox in the UK - 76 in England and one each in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dr McBride said the Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland was working closely with other agencies across Britain and Ireland to identify possible cases and any contacts.

He said the “key message” was that this was an infection “which is not readily spread between people, but can be by close contact, so the risk to the general population is considered to be low”.

Monkeypox is a viral infection typically found in central and western Africa. Cases, usually small clusters or isolated infections, are sometimes diagnosed in other countries. Early symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and chills, as well as other features such as exhaustion.

Gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men are being urged in particular to be aware of symptoms, especially if they have recently had a new sexual partner.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been tracing contacts of those with a confirmed case of monkeypox and are advising those at highest risk to isolate for 21 days. A smallpox vaccine is also being offered to close contacts to reduce their risk of symptoms and severe illness.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the Government was not aware of any cases of monkeypox in the State at this stage.

“But it’s almost inevitable, in fact, it is inevitable that there will be cases in the Republic of Ireland,” he added.

“The HSE has set up a group to monitor the situation, we don’t anticipate that this is going to be a public health emergency like Covid for example. But there are a number of outbreaks now around the world and the HSE is monitoring the situation very closely and making sure that healthcare professionals are informed on what the symptoms are so if people do have monkeypox that it can be identified quickly.”

During a joint Department of Health/PHA briefing on Thursday, further information was also given about the Covid-19 situation in Northern Ireland and cases of unexplained hepatitis in children, of which there have been 16.

Dr McBride said some of the affected children had required specialist treatment elsewhere in the UK and one needed a liver transplant.

He said community transmission of Covid-19 remained at a “stubbornly high level” and it was “reasonable to anticipate” there would be a further increase in community cases and potentially some pressures on the health service in the “foreseeable future”. - Additional reporting PA