Monkeypox "shouldn't be a big concern in Stamford and Rutland"
A senior health official has been offering reassurance to residents.
Monkeypox shouldn't be a big concern in Stamford and Rutland, a senior health official says.
There are now over 70 infections in the UK, most of them in England, and experts say parents shouldn't be worried as cases are rare in children.
Rutland's Public Health Director Mike Sandys says it's a lot less contagious than Covid:
"Although you can get it from infected bedding; although you can get it if someone with Monkeypox coughed or sneezed on you, essentially it's a closed contact disease. You'd have to be much closer to somebody to get it it than you would do with Covid.
"If people do develop a rash that is unknown, particularly if they've travelled back from Central/West Africa - or if they think they've come into contact with someone who has Monkeypox - then seek medical advice.
"It's not impossible that you could get a case in Rutland, but in terms of social networks we're a far more rural area here. I don't think it's going to be a huge issue in Rutland. Monkeypox is a completely misnamed virus as you don't catch it from monkeys. It's a viral illness much like Chickenpox; it leads to a rash and lesions on the skin that then scab over and drop off".