"Is Monkeypox Landing in Korea? ... 'Testing System Established'"

Spread Across the World Following the US and Europe

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The viral disease "monkeypox," which has been prevalent in the African region, is spreading to the Middle East following North America and Europe, causing countries around the world to be on high alert. Although there have been no domestic infection cases yet, health authorities are closely monitoring the possibility of the spread of another infectious disease following COVID-19 and have taken preemptive measures.

On the 23rd, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that it has completed the establishment of a testing system in preparation for the occurrence of monkeypox, which is spreading in Europe and North America, and is currently monitoring the overseas outbreak situation.

The KDCA explained, "We have continuously promoted the establishment of diagnostic systems to prepare for future infectious diseases and completed the development and evaluation of 'monkeypox diagnostic tests and reagents' in 2016," adding, "Currently, the only institution capable of testing domestically is the KDCA."

However, regarding the recent outbreak situation, there is still no clear information from countries worldwide or the World Health Organization (WHO). Considering the increase in overseas travel after the decline of the Omicron variant spread and the relatively long incubation period of up to 21 days (usually 6?13 days), the possibility that the virus has already entered the country cannot be ruled out.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when symptoms similar to smallpox were observed in laboratory monkeys. Since the first human infection case in 1970 in the Congo, Africa, it has continuously occurred as an endemic disease mainly in Africa. However, starting this month with a confirmed case in a British person who had visited Nigeria, infections have been reported in Europe and North America, including Portugal, Spain, the United States, and Canada, and cases have also begun to be reported in Australia and the Middle East.

As of the 21st (local time), the WHO reported 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox infection in 12 countries where infections had not been previously reported, including 20 cases in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, with additional confirmed cases in Switzerland and Israel, the number of countries where monkeypox has spread has increased to 14.

Monkeypox is a viral disease similar to smallpox but generally presents milder symptoms. Symptoms similar to the flu, such as fever, headache, muscle pain, chills, and fatigue, appear, and 1 to 3 days after fever onset, rashes begin to develop starting on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body. The papular rash progresses to vesicles and pustules, and these symptoms last for 2 to 4 weeks, with most patients recovering naturally within 2 to 4 weeks. However, in children or African countries with insufficient medical infrastructure, the fatality rate ranges from about 1% to 10%.

Human-to-human transmission of this virus is generally known to occur only through close physical contact, so experts consider the simultaneous occurrence of infection cases in various places to be very unusual. Currently, there is no specific treatment for monkeypox, but antiviral drugs such as cidofovir, brincidofovir, tecovirimat, and vaccinia immune globulin are used for treatment.

The KDCA reports that monkeypox can be prevented by about 85% through cross-immunity from smallpox vaccination. Currently, 35.02 million doses of smallpox vaccine are stockpiled domestically, but since smallpox was effectively eradicated in the late 1970s, vaccinations have not been administered for over 40 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.