SL reports 1st monkeypox case

Colombo: Sri Lanka has reported the first case of monkeypox in a youth who had arrived from Dubai, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced on Friday.

The Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry said that the 20 year old patient arrived in the island nation on Tuesday, Rambukwella told the media.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that can spread from person to person through close contact with an infected person, including through hugs, kisses, massages or sexual intercourse, according to experts.

The ongoing global monkeypox outbreak was first confirmed in May this year.

According to the World Health Organization, there have been more that 73,080 confirmed cases in some 109 countries.