"Contact with Foreigners Returning from Democratic Congo"... Cluster Infection of Mutant MPox Reported in China

Currently Confirmed No Additional Infections

A cluster infection of a variant of MPOX (monkeypox) has occurred in China.

On the 9th, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on its website, "Recently, a cluster infection case of a new variant sublineage 1b (Clade 1b) of MPOX has been confirmed, and the source of infection is a foreigner with a history of stay in the Democratic Republic of the Congo." The authorities explained that four additional infection cases among contacts were confirmed, all of whom were infected through close contact.

The patients mainly showed mild symptoms such as rash and blisters, and no additional infections have been identified among general contacts.

Local authorities in Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Beijing City, and Tianjin City established a joint epidemic prevention system and conducted investigations into the infection routes and treatment measures.

An employee of Moldiag, a biotech startup producing M-Pox testers, is conducting a test. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The health authorities stated, "We are monitoring the health status of the infected individuals, and the infection is currently effectively contained."

MPOX is an infection caused by the MPOX virus, which induces skin rashes and flu-like symptoms. The representative symptoms include skin rashes appearing on the face, hands, feet, eyes, or genital areas. Cases showing skin rashes or blisters, fever, headache, muscle pain, and lymph node swelling have also been reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in August of the same year after the 1b type MPOX, which has a high fatality rate and rapid transmission mainly in Africa, spread from early last year.