The first monkeypox case has been detected in Malta, the health authorities said.

The patient is a 38-year-old man resident in Malta who was abroad in a country where the disease had been found.

The man has light symptoms and does not need hospitalisation. He is isolated at home.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that is not easily transmitted from person to person, the authorities said.

In the majority of cases, it is a light disease from which the patient recovers in a few weeks.

The first symptoms are fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, inflamed glands, shivers and weariness. 

A rash can also develop, in most cases in the face, and then spreads to other parts of the body.

The rash passes through several phases before forming a shell that eventually peels off.

The authorities urged people to wash their hands regularly and use sanitisers.