The first Monkeypox infection in Sri Lanka has been detected in a 20-year-old individual.
The Ministry of Health said that the first patient was identified as a 20-year-old youth who had arrived from Dubai on November 1.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health.
Monkeypox primarily occurs in central and west Africa, often in proximity to tropical rainforests, and has been increasingly appearing in urban areas. Animal hosts include a range of rodents and non-human primates. (NewsWire)
