Australian state reports 1st monkeypox case since Nov 2022

Sydney: The New South Wales Ministry of Health (NSW Health) has reported the first monkeypox case diagnosed in the Australian state since November last year.

The NSW Health confirmed in a statement that the case was identified in Sydney, reports Xinhua news agency.

Though the majority of monkeypox cases in NSW were caught when travelling overseas, the health authority noted that this most recent case was not associated with overseas travel, so there may be some local transmission of the virus occurring.

"In NSW there were 56 monkeypox cases between May and November 2022. We believe that rapid rollout of the vaccination program to people at high risk of monkeypox and the reduction in the number of cases in the northern hemisphere both contributed to the lack of new cases in NSW until now," said Vicky Sheppeard, director of South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit.

The state currently provides free vaccines for eligible groups of people to protect against monkeypox.

However, the NSW Health warned that no vaccine is completely effective in preventing the disease, urging people who have any related symptoms to immediately call ahead to their general practitioners and seek medical assistance.