A NORTH EAST hospital, which was among the first in the UK to deal with Covid patients, is currently treating at least one monkeypox patient - and here's why.
Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary is the site of the region's Infection and Tropical Medicine Service and is one of the most highly respected units of its kind in the UK.
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The hospital, which is in Newcastle city centre, runs a wide range of clinics to assess and investigate infectious diseases a dedicated outpatient department.
The RVI also has access to highly specialised isolation facilities for extremely contagious viruses.
There are currently two centres for High Consequence Infectious Diseases in England, one of them being Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary High Level Isolation Unit, and the other being the Royal Free London HLIU.
Further support for managing confirmed contact HCID cases is provided by the Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.
Newcastle’s RVI is also one of five interim Airborne High Consequence Infectious Diseases in England.
Read more: Case of monkeypox confirmed in North East
The hospital can provide expert advice for patients with known or potentially infectious diseases.
It can also deal with problems encountered with the control of infection as well as guidance for clinical colleagues who are looking after patients receiving treatment which can result in the immune system being reduced.
At UK’s first confirmed cases of Covid were treated at Newcastle’s RVI at the beginning of the pandemic.
The hospital continued to treat Covid patients throughout the pandemic.
Read more: The number of confirmed Monkeypox cases in the North East as health boss issues warning
Now the hospital is treating one case of the Monkeypox disease which was discovered in the North East.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser, UKHSA, today said: “We anticipated that further cases would be detected through our active case finding with NHS services and heightened vigilance among healthcare professionals.
“We expect this increase to continue in the coming days and for more cases to be identified in the wider community.
“Alongside this we are receiving reports of further cases being identified in other countries globally."
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