Following the emergence of monkeypox in people in Europe and the US, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for rigorous tracing of all contacts of those affected.
The WHO announced on Wednesday evening that clinics and the population would have to be made aware of the need for an unusual skin rash to be examined by specialists.
If monkeypox is suspected, patients should be isolated.
Health workers should take the usual precautions to protect themselves against infections that can spread through contact or droplets.
Better hygiene due to Corona
The WHO emphasizes that hand hygiene, which has become a matter of course for many people during the corona pandemic, helps against the risk of transmission.
This includes thorough hand washing with soap and water and disinfectants.
The WHO considers travel or trade restrictions with Great Britain to be unnecessary “according to the information available at the moment”.
Previous cases of monkeypox have usually been due to travel to areas in west and central Africa where the virus is known, according to the WHO.
The first person affected in Great Britain had also entered the country from Nigeria.
According to the WHO, monkeypox has increased in people in Nigeria since 2017.
A total of 558 suspected cases have been reported there since then.
241 were confirmed and eight people died.
According to previous information, the other patients reported from Great Britain were infected themselves.
"The extent of the local contagion is still unclear at this time and it is possible that further cases will be identified," said the WHO.
She does not go into the cases in other western countries.