Guidance for patients with suspected monkeypox

The UK Health Security Agency has reported that a very small number of people in the UK have been diagnosed with monkeypox. 

If your symptoms are mild, you are best obtaining advice by calling 111 or contacting a sexual health clinic.

Tell the person you speak to if you've had close contact with someone who has or might have monkeypox, or if you've recently travelled to central or west Africa.

Do not go to a sexual health clinic without contacting them first. Stay at home and avoid close contact with other people until you've been told what to do.

If you need to attend the Emergency Department with a fever and rash with blisters or have had contact with any person known to have a monkeypox infection, put on your mask, identify yourself to the receptionist as you are booking in, and you will be prioritised.

Our teams are always here for you, so please don’t hesitate to access care and treatment if you need it.

What is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral infection which is usually mild and goes away without the need for treatment.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash changes and goes through different stages – a bit like chicken pox – before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

It does not spread easily between people, only through very close contact with someone with symptoms, such as a rash and fever. Most people recover within a few weeks.

If you get infected with monkeypox, it usually takes between five and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear.