[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The third confirmed case of monkeypox in South Korea has been identified. This comes 73 days after the second confirmed case was reported on September 3.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 15th, a Korean national who entered the country from the United Arab Emirates on the 4th developed symptoms of fever, sweating, and dizziness on the 8th. On the 13th, the individual visited a hospital in Gyeonggi Province due to systemic symptoms and painful skin lesions, and genetic testing confirmed a positive result.
The third patient was asymptomatic upon entry, and the Central Disease Control Headquarters became aware of the patient through a report made to the 1339 call center by the medical institution visited.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters stated that the confirmed patient was transferred to the National Medical Center on the same day, and they plan to conduct an in-depth epidemiological investigation to monitor the progress and identify additional contacts. They will classify and manage the risk levels of contacts based on exposure levels by tracking the movements of the confirmed patient during the infectious period.
The patient is currently hospitalized at a designated treatment facility. Although experiencing localized pain, the overall condition is reported to be stable, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized, "Monkeypox is a disease that can be sufficiently managed with the current quarantine response capabilities. Cooperation from the public and medical community is crucial for early detection and preventing community spread." They urged citizens who have visited or traveled to countries with monkeypox outbreaks to follow personal hygiene guidelines such as handwashing and wearing masks, and to consult the Disease Control Agency call center if symptoms develop within 21 days after returning to Korea.
Previously, the first confirmed case of monkeypox in South Korea, identified in mid-June, was a Korean national who entered from Germany. The patient voluntarily reported during the entry process and was transferred to Incheon Medical Center, a nationally designated inpatient treatment facility, where they underwent 15 days of isolation treatment before being discharged.
The second confirmed case was a Korean national who entered the country asymptomatic on August 18 after visiting Europe. Symptoms such as fever, headache, and dizziness appeared ten days after returning, on August 28. The patient visited a hospital in Seoul on August 30 due to localized pain and became aware of the condition after personally contacting a public health center on September 1. Subsequently, Seoul epidemiologists classified the patient as a suspected case and conducted genetic testing, which confirmed the diagnosis.
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