A British citizen has been diagnosed with the rare viral infection monkey pox, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

The patient is believed to have contracted the infection while visiting Nigeria and is currently being treated at the specialist high consequence infectious disease centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.

Close contacts of the patient, including those who travelled in close proximity to them on the flight from Nigeria to the UK, are being contacted.

PHE said monkey pox ‘is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people and the risk to the general public in England is very low.

Monkey pox ‘is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people and the risk is very low

‘It is usually a self-limiting illness and most people recover within a few weeks. ‘However, severe illness can occur in some individuals.’ PHE said the patient was staying in south-west England before they were transferred to Guy’s and St Thomas’.

It said it is working with the NHS to implement ‘rapid infection control procedures, including contacting people who might have been in close contact with the individual’.

Monkey pox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkey pox virus. Most cases have been in Africa. The risk of catching monkey pox in the UK is very low.

It’s usually a mild illness that will get better on its own without treatment. Some people can develop more serious symptoms, so patients with monkey pox in the UK are cared for in specialist hospitals.

The illness begins with: High temperature Headache Muscle aches Backache Swollen glands Chills Exhaustion.