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26th May 2022

First case of monkeypox confirmed in Northern Ireland

Kat O'Connor

The infected patient is being treated in hospital.

The first case of monkeypox has reportedly been identified in Northern Ireland.

According to BBC News NI, the Department of Health will hold a briefing this afternoon.

The patient is reportedly being treated in hospital.

However, officials say the risk to the public remains low.

No cases have been identified in the Republic of Ireland so far. However, experts fear it is only a matter of time before cases are identified here.

The news comes after parents were told not to worry about the monkeypox virus.

This is because the chances of children being affected by the current outbreak are low.

Speaking to Metro, Dr. David Porter said: “As a parent with a child that might develop a rash, I don’t think parents should be worried about this being… monkeypox at this stage, because we’re seeing a very low number of cases.”

He explained that children with a rash most likely have chickenpox or hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Dr. Porter stressed that adults are more likely to be infected.

“In all the previous outbreaks that have occurred outside of Africa over the last few years, we’ve seen very rare numbers of cases in children.”

Cases have recently been confirmed in Wales, Scotland, Germany, and France.

No cases have been confirmed in the Republic, but the HSE has established a team to cope with possible outbreaks.

Read more: What is monkeypox and is it dangerous?