Ireland reports 1st clade I mpox case, offers travel advice
The Ireland Health Service Executive (HSE) reports detecting an imported case of clade I mpox.
The Irish resident had recently returned home following travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mpox is circulating in the community. The individual is now receiving specialist care in a hospital in Dublin.
Officials say the risk to the Irish public remains low.
The public are asked to follow Public Health advice, particularly if travelling to or from a country in Africa where mpox cases are occurring.
Travel Advice
To protect yourself and others against mpox, know the signs and symptoms of mpox, how the virus spreads, what to do if you get sick, and the risk of mpox infection in the area that you are planning to travel to. Information on countries affected by mpox is available from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Mpox needs close or intimate contact to spread, so casual (passing) contact like you might have during travel is not likely to cause infection. If the virus is spreading in the area that you are travelling to, have open conversations with those you come into close contact with about any symptoms they may have.
People can protect themselves by:
Avoiding close contact (including sexual contact) with people who are sick with signs and symptoms of mpox, including those with a rash (blisters or scabs)
Avoiding contact with wild animals (alive or dead and including their meat and blood) in areas where mpox regularly occurs. Any food containing animal parts or meat should be cooked thoroughly before eating
Avoiding contact with contaminated materials used by people who are sick (such as clothing, bedding, towels etc.) or that had been in contact with wild animals
Washing hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 70% alcohol.
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If you think you might have mpox when you are abroad, seek medical advice as soon as possible, and isolate from others until you have been checked and tested. If you have mpox, you should isolate yourself from others until all your lesions have crusted over, the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed underneath.
When you return from travel
As symptoms of mpox may take time to develop, in the 21 days after leaving the affected country, if you have any mpox symptoms, self-isolate and phone your doctor promptly, telling them about your recent travel, so that you can be assessed.