Health authorities reported the nation’s first possible community transmission of mpox on Saturday
Posted Date – 08:20 AM, Sun – 4/9/23
Photo: IANS
Seoul: On Saturday, health authorities reported the country’s first possible case of community transmission of mpox, bringing the total number of infections to six.
The infected person, a South Korean national with no recent history of overseas travel, had tested positive for the disease the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
The person presented to the hospital on Monday with a rash and was reported as a suspected case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Unlike the country’s five previous cases linked to overseas travel, the latest patient had not traveled abroad in the past three months, the KDCA said.
The person also had no contact with an infected person, it added.
The individual had been showing symptoms since late March and had been in contact with others for several days.
The patient is currently hospitalized and is doing well, KDCA said. The agency did not provide further details about the person.
“A thorough epidemiological investigation is currently underway and we will release the necessary information as soon as it is ready,” a KDCA official said.
Compared with respiratory infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza, unless there is close contact with a confirmed case, the risk of mpox transmission by the general population is relatively low, the official noted.
The virus, traditionally confined to central and west Africa, can cause symptoms including fever, chills, rashes and lesions.
The first mpox case in South Korea was confirmed on June 22 last year, and the fifth case was reported on March 13.
