Monkeypox symptoms according to NHS and how to avoid getting it

Cases of the Monkeypox virus are growing in the UK and beyond, with 20 infections confirmed in the UK so far and more expected to be announced on Monday (23 May). More than 80 cases have also been found across Europe, Canada, the US, Israel and now Australia.

The Monkeypox belongs to the same 'family' as the smallpox, which was declared eradicated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the 1980s. According to the NHS, the illness is usually mild and most people recover within four weeks.

It can be caught from infected wild animals in parts of west and central Africa. Touching the body fluids or spots of an infected animal, or eating meat from an infected animal that has not been cooked thoroughly are just some of the ways it can be contracted.

Read more: Monkeypox: UK Health Security Agency issues fresh advice ahead of cases announcement

The WHO said that Monkeypox can be 'transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.' Previous reports stated the recent UK outbreak had been found predominantly in gay or bisexual men and while the virus hadn't been described as a sexually transmitted infection, it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.

The latest guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says people who have had 'unprotected direct contact or high-risk environmental contact' should should self-isolate for 21 days. This includes no travel, providing details for contact tracing and avoiding direct contact with immunosuppressed people, pregnant women and children under 12.

But a government minister has sought to reassure the public that Monkeypox is not 'a repeat of' Covid-19. Chief secretary to the