The rare monkeypox virus has been detected in another part of Australia as health experts urge the public not to overreact.
The deadly virus monkeypox has spread to Australia’s capital, with two new cases detected in the Australian Capital Territory.
Members of the public are urged not be alarmed by rising case numbers since the virus first reached Australia’s shores on May 20.
Health officials said the two new cases had travelled to Europe and recently returned to the ACT.
It takes the total number of cases in Australia to 28 after Queensland reported its first ever case on Monday.
New South Wales has the highest number of cases so far, with 17 confirmed instances of the disease.
The state also recorded the first suspected instance of local transmission earlier this month.
ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman stressed the virus is very different to Covid-19 and far less easy to spread.
She said transmission of the disease usually required direct skin-to-skin or prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected person.
Those who are infectious are also generally quite visibly unwell, making isolation measures much more effective.
“Symptoms may initially include fever, chills, muscle aches, backache and swollen lymph nodes,” Dr Coleman said.
“Following these symptoms, a rash usually develops, which spreads to other parts of the body.
“The rash changes and goes through stages, like chickenpox, before finally becoming a scab.”
Those who do display symptoms are told to stay at home and contact a GP to organise a telehealth appointment as a first point of call.
“Illness associated with the monkeypox virus is usually mild, although complications can occur,” Dr Coleman said.
No treatment exists, but the symptoms usually clear up after two to four weeks.
The disease is considered endemic in 11 African nations, where the death rate is between three and six per cent.
Being related to the now mostly eradicated smallpox, sufferers of monkeypox experience visible sores on their body which eventually crust over and fall off.
These commonly appear on the genitalia, causing some sufferers to present to sexual health clinics rather than GPs.
An ongoing global outbreak of the virus has also spread to the UK, Europe, North America, the Middle East and other areas which are not endemic for the virus.
University of Queensland infectious disease expert Paul Griffith said he expects positive case numbers in Australia to remain relatively low due to effectively being able to interrupt transmission with isolation measures.
“Monkeypox is a very different virus to the flu and Covid; it’s actually relatively hard to transmit, you need real close physical contact with infected body fluid,” Associate Professor Griffin said.
“And the fact that most people who are infectious are visibly unwell – so they’re not going to go about living their day-to-day lives unknowingly spreading this in the community.
“We just need a basic awareness so that if someone does potentially have symptoms, they get a test, we can isolate them, and make sure they don’t pass it on.”
Originally published as Killer virus spreads to new Aussie state as health officials urge calm
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