WA Health has confirmed the first active case of monkeypox within the community.
The person, an overseas traveller who has since left WA, tested positive in a second country but was infectious while in WA.
There is no known transmission.
A spokesperson told 96FM the traveller caught the virus before arriving here and, as a result, doesn’t count as an official infection for WA.
#Exclusive WA Health has confirmed the first case of the monkeypox in WA.
That person, an international traveler, has left Australia and tested positive in a second country.
They were infectious while in WA, but there’s no known transmissions. #wanews #perthnews @96FMPerth
— Toby Hussey (@TobyHusseyWA) June 13, 2022
“Monkeypox doesn’t spread easily. It requires close contact, usually through direct contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding,” 96FM reporter Toby Hussey tweeted, adding that by Friday last week, eight cases had been confirmed in Australia. Five of those were in New South Wales, three in Victoria.
Last week, global case numbers outside Africa surpassed 1000 but there are no known deaths related to infection.
