Swiss health officials on Saturday reported the country’s first case of monkeypox in a resident of the canton of Berne who was exposed while abroad.

According to Berne’s health authority, the patient was treated as a walk-in case and is now being isolated at home. Everyone who had contact with him had been informed, according to a statement.

“As far as we know, the person concerned was exposed to the virus abroad,” the statement added.

Health officials became aware of the case on Friday, and it was confirmed as monkeypox the following day.

Switzerland thus joins several western countries, including Britain, Germany, Spain, Sweden the United Kingdom and the United States in reporting cases, raising fears the virus may be spreading.

Symptoms of the rare disease include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.

The virus can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions or droplets from a contaminated person, as well as through shared items such as bedding or towels.

Monkeypox usually clears up after two to four weeks, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge warned on Friday that cases could accelerate in the coming months, as the virus spread across Europe.

Kluge stated that the majority of initial cases of the disease were among men who had sex with men and sought treatment at sexual health clinics, and that “this suggests that transmission may have been ongoing for some time.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it is looking into the fact that many of the cases reported involved people who identified as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men.