China reports 106 new cases of monkeypox in June with low possibility of widespread transmission

The Chinese mainland reported 106 new cases of monkeypox from June 2 to June 30 with zero severe illnesses or deaths, and the possibility of the disease spreading widely is low, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.

Among the 106 new cases of monkeypox, South China's Guangdong Province reported the highest number with 45 cases. Eight cases were identified in East China's Jiangsu Province, two in Hubei Province, two in Shandong Province, and one in Zhejiang Province.

Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people can fully recover, but the severity of symptoms varies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

This round of monkey pox in China was mainly spread via homosexual sex, Shi Guoqing, a deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a release on the center's website.

According to screening results, aside from sexual contact between males, there were 374 people who have had close contact with the 106 patients and only one of them was infected after living together with them, which hints at the low possibility of other routes of transmission, said Shi.

Compared with the spreading speed of the coronavirus, flu and other respiratory infectious diseases, monkeypox is slower. Cluster infections are possible but with less possibility for spreading widely, said Shi.

People who become infected with or are suspected of having monkeypox need to receive timely isolated treatment in medical institutions and then undergo home quarantine. Those with mild symptoms can stay at home and undergo self-treatment.

People who have close contact with the patients do not need to isolate themselves. Disease control and prevention institutions will guide them to undergo health monitoring for 21 consecutive days. They can carry out normal activities while avoiding close contact with others, according to the release.

The main method of preventing monkeypox is to strengthen monitoring of key groups, medical institutions and people coming back to China from overseas, promptly discovering and isolating infected individuals, and monitoring those who have had close contact with patients, said Shi, noting that China does not require negative tests for monkeypox when entering the country.

In May 2022, an outbreak of monkeypox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas and then all six WHO regions, with 110 countries and regions reporting about 87, 000 cases and 112 deaths. The global outbreak has affected primarily, but is not limited to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and has spread between people through sexual contact, WHO said in a release in April.