The United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed on Tuesday its first case of monkeypox in a 29-year-old woman who arrived from West Africa.
The patient received medical care and the UAE health authorities took all necessary measures, including investigation, examination of contacts, and monitoring, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a tweet, which did not specify which country origin of the woman.
The ministry earlier reassured the public that antiviral medicine therapy can help a monkeypox patient recover in two to four weeks.
While monkeypox is primarily found in central and west Africa, often near tropical rainforests, it has been increasingly seen in urban areas.
More than 200 suspected and confirmed cases of the virus have been recorded worldwide, including in several non-endemic countries since early May, according to the World Health Organization.
Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, and then spreading to other parts of the body including the genitals.