More than 50 members of the public could have been exposed to a rare viral infection, health officials fear after the first case of monkeypox was diagnosed in the UK.

A Nigerian naval officer who came to the UK to take part in an Ministry of Defence (MoD) training exercise at a Royal Navy base in Cornwall was confirmed to have the disease on Friday.

He flew from Nigeria, where he is believed to have contracted the disease, to London on a commercial flight last weekend.

Public Health England (PHE) have contacted passengers on the plane who were sat close to the man to warn them that they have been exposed to the infection.

The risk to the wider public is considered to be very low, PHE said.

The Nigerian naval officer began to develop symptoms of the virus, which has a mortality rate of between one and ten per cent, while on the British base.

On Friday after his diagnosis was confirmed the patient was moved to the infectious disease unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London. He was said to be in a stable condition.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection, similar to smallpox but not as deadly. It is usually mild and self-limiting with most people recovering within a few weeks, but severe illness and death can occur.