Health minister confirms first case of monkeypox in Poland

"Poland has confirmed the first case of monkeypox," Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Friday.

"We've had approx. 10 suspected cases of monkey pox, samples are being examined. June 10 is the day we've had the first case," the minister said at a press conference held at the Medical University in Łódź.

Health Ministry spokesperson Wojciech Andrusiewicz said the patient has been isolated and an epidemiological interview with him has been conducted.

The ministry did not reveal details regarding the patient's identity or the place of their hospitalisation.

Monkeypox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe – with up to 10% mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate of more like 1% of cases. The UK cases are least have been reported as the West African strain.

The virus spreads through close contact, both in spillovers from animal hosts and, less commonly, between humans. It was first found in monkeys in 1958, hence the name, although rodents are now seen as the main source of transmission.