Mainland China has recently reported the first imported case of monkeypox. The sole case of the imported monkeypox virus infection was recorded in the country's southwestern municipality of Chongqing Friday.
The infected individual arrived in the country from overseas, making it the country's first known monkeypox infection.
The transmission risk of the case is low as the individual was immediately put in quarantine upon arrival in Chongqing. The local health commission said that all close contact had been put under medical observation in isolation.
The patient has shown symptoms such as rash and was later diagnosed as having the virus by national experts, according to the report from Reuters.
The report came about a week after Hong Kong reported the first monkeypox case detected in the city. The monkeypox virus was also recorded in Taiwan last June.
Mainland China Before the Virus
World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency on July 23. The monkeypox virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected animal or person, droplets, or virus-contaminated objects.
The virus can also be passed from a mother to a baby via the placenta and sexual transmission cannot be ruled out, according to monkeypox diagnosis and treatment guidelines confirmed by WHO in June.
From Jan. 1 through Sept. 4, the laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox were 52,996, and 18 deaths were reported to WHO from 102 countries and regions, based on the report released on Sept. 7.
Chief epidemiologist, Wu Zunyou with the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned in June following the reported data of monkeypox in Taiwan that it was just a matter of time before the virus would spread in Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland China, Shine New China reported.
3D art of the monkeypox orthopoxvirus as seen under the microscope and showing the virus structures in great detail simulating a diseased person, it's from the same family as the smallpox and can be transmitted human to human
ALSO READ: Monkeypox Antiviral Drug: What is Tecovirimat's Role in the Virus' Mutation?
Chinese Experts on Monkeypox
In a forum, last August about the virus research and response, the former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, and Zhang Wenhong, head of the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital suggested that Chinese authorities should keep high vigilance, conduct strict surveillance and timely warning signs to develop countermeasures against monkeypox, Global Times reported.
The head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, Lu Hangzhou, told the Global Times that the reports of imported monkeypox cases in China are unsurprising, but he added that the whole disease poses a little threat to Chinese communities.
Lu added that the regional outbreaks can be prevented as long as the cluster infections among the high-risk communities are prevented using effective epidemic control measures and timely detection.
He also suggests strict customs in quarantine inspection to prevent imported cases.
The experts noted that some European countries, including Germany and The Netherlands, are already seeing clear signs of slowing the outbreak, demonstrating the effectiveness of public health interventions and community engagement to track infections and prevent transmissions.
RELATED ARTICLE: CDC Updates Monkeypox Guidelines After the First Human-to-Dog Transmission Case Reported in France
Check out more news and information on Medicine and Health in Science Times.
