Scots are being warned about the rise in monkeypox across the United Kingdom after new cases were identified.
Professor Devi Sridhar, a Scottish Government adviser on coronavirus, said it was important that contract tracing is carried out on the people who caught the disease.
It came after four new cases of monkeypox were identified yesterday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that three of the infections were found in London, with a further one identified in the north east of England.
All of the new cases are not linked to three other infections confirmed in the UK earlier this month.
Prof Sridhar, who advised Nicola Sturgeon throughout the pandemic, said there is a vaccine to combat monkeypox however she raised concerns about the spread of the disease.
She tweeted: "As four more cases detected, important to ensure all contacts are traced & this doesn’t spread further. Monkeypox is similar to smallpox & causes a distinctive rash.
"Most of our nasty diseases come from animals -> we have to stop spillover happening from animals to humans otherwise we’ll face an increasing # of outbreaks. I talk about this in detail in my latest book Preventable.
"There is a vaccine that protects against monkeypox- what’s concerning is that new cases aren’t related to first cluster.
"Means transmission btwn humans in UK & more cases out there. Tools are: tracing & isolation (break chains of transmission) & vaccines."
The UKHSA is "rapidly investigating" the new cases that have been identified.
Dr Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at the UKHSA, said: "This is rare and unusual.
"UKHSA is rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact.
"We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay.
"We are contacting any potential close contacts of the cases to provide health information and advice."
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