Russian health officials said the first case of monkeypox has been detected in the country, attributing it to a “young man” with a mild form of the disease.

“The infection was found in a young man who came back from a trip through European countries and went to a medical facility with a characteristic rash,” health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement on July 12.

“Contact persons have been established, and they are being monitored by doctors,” the statement said.

It said the man had been isolated in a hospital and that he had a “mild” form of the disease.

The statement added that the man’s illness was detected early, which “helped prevent further spread of the infection.”

Monkeypox produces fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills, fatigue, and a rash that evolves into lesions and papules. The rash can appear similar to that caused by syphilis and herpes.

More than 50 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease as confirmed cases exceed 7,600. The disease has long been endemic in West and Central Africa.

The World Health Organization has said the public health risk from the illness is currently “assessed as moderate,” but cautioned that the risk “could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself in non-endemic countries as a widespread human pathogen.”

No deaths have been associated with the outbreaks in nonendemic countries.

Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036