Teenager catches cowpox on family farm

A teenager has caught cowpox after feeding calves on his family farm, in what is believed to be the first case in Britain in over a decade.

The 15-year-old boy broke out in red lesions on his hands, feet and arms after developing the virus, which has rarely been seen since the 18th century. The unnamed teenager, from the Wrexham-cheshire border, was diagnosed with cowpox – a virus so rare that many doctors have never encountered it before.

Public Health Wales said the last reported human case in Wales was 10 to 15 years ago.