What is Monkeypox and what are the symptoms?
Sign up to our free newsletter for the top North Wales stories sent straight to your e-mail Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up now! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  Two cases of the rare disease monkeypox have been identified in North Wales . A Public Health Wales (PHW) official has confirmed that both cases were within the same family, and that the risk to the general public is very low, but that health experts are still actively monitoring cases. First detected in the Republic of Congo in 1970, Monkeypox is primarily found in Central and West African countries, mostly near tropical rainforests. The largest documented outbreak was in Nigeria in 2017. It is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is typically much less serious than smallpox. It was last detected in the United Kingdom in 2018, when a Nigerian national contracted the disease before moving to the UK. Monkeypox symptoms  The initial symptoms of monkeypox include chills, fevers, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion. Once the fever breaks, a rash can develop, often beginning on the face and spreading to other parts of the body. The rash can be incredibly itchy and often forms scabs, primarily on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. While unpleasant, monkeypox is typically not serious and is often mistaken for chickenpox. Cases tend to clear up by themselves within 14 to 21 days. Monkeypox does not spread easily between people, but it is possible to catch it from: