Monkeypox: UK patient discusses his symptoms
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Speaking to TalkTV’s The News Desk, James M, who wanted to keep his surname anonymous, detailed his first signs of the rare infection. The monkeypox patient listed his symptoms, which ranged from fever to back pain.
The 35-year-old HR manager was diagnosed with monkeypox after returning from Dubai at the end of May.
During his first TV interview, James said: “I really didn’t think I had it.
“So, everything you hear, everything you read talks about this tell-tale rash or lumps or pimples which I never had at any point of the illness.
“I fell ill much like a flu, fever, very exhausted back pain and on the calling local clinic they advised that I should go for a monkeypox test, which I was surprised by but I went along with it and got tested and I got that positive diagnosis.”
The NHS explains that it might take between five to 21 days for your symptoms to appear.
Although rash might crop, other symptoms will ring the alarm bells first, including:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering (chills)
- Exhaustion.
The characteristic rash will appear within one to five days after the first symptoms.
The NHS notes that monkeypox rash begins on your face, later spreading to other parts of your body.
It will start with raised spots, which will turn into small blisters filled with fluid.
These blisters will then form scabs which will fall off.
At first, James thought he had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) as he slept with around 10 new partners in the weeks before his symptoms started, according to Mail Online.
He explained that medics also thought it wasn’t monkeypox initially because he didn’t have the tell-tale rash.
He decided to contact his local STI clinic and was sent for tests at a specialist centre on May 25.
Three days later, a PCR test confirmed his monkeypox diagnosis.
Fortunately, James is feeling “much, much better now”.
He added: “It was very rough for the first week. But now I feel fit and well back to normal health.”
If you suffer from monkeypox symptoms, the NHS recommends contacting a sexual health clinic.
The health service shares to watch out for a rash with blisters if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox or if you’ve travelled to west or central Africa.
“Stay at home and avoid close contact with other people until you’ve been told what to do,” it notes.
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