Queensland’s first case of monkeypox detected in Brisbane

Queensland’s first confirmed case of monkeypox has been detected, with the positive case now self-isolating in Brisbane.

Queensland’s first confirmed case of monkeypox has been detected, with the positive case self-isolating in Brisbane.

Health authorities confirmed the state’s first case was detected on Monday night and that the public health risk is “very low”.

Contact tracing is under way to find those who may have come into contact with the positive case, and potential close contacts will be contacted directly by state health authorities.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that is spread from person-to-person.

Australia’s first confirmed positive case was detected in May this year.

A photo released by the CDC of how monkeypox affects people. Picture: CDC.

Last month, a man in his 50s tested positive for the virus in New South Wales with health authorities confirming he had recently travelled to the Whitsundays.

As of June 6, there have been more than 6000 cases of monkeypox in 58 countries amid the current outbreak.

Infectious diseases expert Professor Paul Griffin said although there is a “possibility” of further monkeypox cases in Queensland, the disease requiref “quite significant exposure”.

“The good thing about monkeypox is that it’s not that easy to spread and typically people who are infected are obviously infected, can be identified, tested and therefore isolated,” he said.

“We need people to have a basic awareness so that they can be on the lookout for symptoms and go and get tested but we are certainly not going to expect large numbers.

“It needs quite significant exposure – it needs close contact with a blood or body fluid – fluid from the blisters for example – it’s not like a Covid or even an influenza in that it is readily transmissible – it is actually quite hard to transmit.”

The University of Sydney’s infectious disease expert Robert Booy said because monkeypox is a relative of smallpox (chickenpox) it can most likely be prevented by vaccination against smallpox.

“It is mostly transmissible by people who have close and prolonged personal contact – that might be skin to skin, through the respiratory route e.g. being coughed on, or someone having a runny nose,” he said.

“But the risk of transmission for the general public is very low – controlled measures should be focused on case finding, appropriate behaviour including isolation.”

“The likelihood of it getting a foothold and spreading rapidly in Queensland is low - it is not going to be caught in a shopping centre as you walk past someone in a coffee shop – it doesn’t get caught that way – it is very different to Covid or the flu.”

“One example of people of high risk are men who repeatedly over a short period of time have sex with other men.”