Date issued: 23 June 2022 (update to 10 June 2022)
Issued by: Dr Mihaela Ivan, Acting Deputy Chief Health Officer Communicable Disease
Issued to: Health professionals and the Victorian community
Key messages
- Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.
- Since mid-May 2022 there have been cases of monkeypox reported from multiple countries that are not endemic for monkeypox virus, and local transmission has occurred in these countries.
- Monkeypox may be spread from person-to-person through skin-to-skin contact, contact with infected surfaces or items, and respiratory droplets.
- To date there have been four unrelated cases notified in Victoria.
- The fourth case is a man in his 20s who returned from Europe and is isolating away from the community.
- The Department of Health is contacting a small number of people who have been in contact with the case.
- Anyone developing symptoms that may be consistent with monkeypox should seek medical care, wearing a mask and calling ahead to make sure they can be isolated away from others.
- Clinicians should consider testing for monkeypox in returned travellers with compatible symptoms.
- From 1 July 2022 monkeypox will become a notifiable condition, in accordance with Victorian statutory requirements.
Read the full Alert: Health warning on monkeypox
