The deadly monkeypox virus is spreading in Australia, officials fear, after a man contracted it in New South Wales.
A warning has been issued urging men who have sex with other men to be aware of the symptoms of Mpox, with Thursday’s case in Sydney being the first in the state in six months.
Vicky Sheppeard, director of Sydney’s south-east department of public health, says that while the state’s vaccination program against the infectious disease has been very successful, the virus will continue to emerge in Australia as it circulates overseas.
All Mpox cases in NSW have been in men who have sex with men and most have been caught traveling to other countries.
The man who was found to have contracted the virus this month had no connection to overseas travel, raising concerns there could be local transmission.
The most noticeable symptom of Mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – is red skin lesions
Between May and November 2022, 56 Mpox cases were found in NSW.
dr Sheppeard said there was strong uptake of the Mpox vaccine and urged those who had not yet received the vaccine to get it if they were in a risk group.
“While our vaccination program against Mpox, combined with monitoring those at risk for symptoms, has been very successful in containing the spread in NSW, there is a risk of new cases here while cases persist in other countries,” said Dr. Sheppeard.
She urged anyone with symptoms to see their GP or a sexual health clinic.
Symptoms of the virus, which is usually endemic in some African countries, include a low-grade fever, headache, fatigue or swollen lymph nodes.
The most obvious symptom is the presence of small pimple-like skin lesions that spread and develop pus and then crust over.
People at high risk of getting Mpox are urged to get vaccinated against the disease
Since May 2022, there has been a global outbreak of Mpox with over 87,000 reported cases, mostly affecting gay or bisexual men.
While there have been a few deaths overseas, all cases in NSW have recovered and very few have required hospitalisation.
Cases stabilized across the country in late September, with an outbreak in Victoria this month being declared ‘reversed’.
Federal Health Secretary Mark Butler said at the time the country had seen a total of about 135 infections since the virus first arrived.
The government signed an agreement for nearly half a million doses of monkeypox vaccine with biotech company Bavarian Nordic last August.
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