Two people who returned to Sri Lanka infected with monkeypox
Two people who returned to Sri Lanka from overseas have been found to be infected with monkeypox.
The Ministry of Health said that a woman and her daughter tested positive for monkeypox after returning to Sri Lanka from Dubai.
Both are currently receiving medical attention at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH).
Monkeypox was first detected in Sri Lanka in November 2022.
The infected person was a 20-year-old Sri Lankan who had arrived from Dubai.
People with monkeypox get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) and could be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.
The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing. The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
Other symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion
muscle aches and backache, headache, and respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough).
Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.
A person with monkeypox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. Some people have been found to have infection but no symptoms. To date, however, there is no evidence that monkeypox spreads from people with no symptoms. (Colombo Gazette)
