Monkeypox Designated as Class 2 Infectious Disease... Crisis Alert Raised to 'Attention' (Update)

Past Plague and Zika Virus Also at Attention Stage Alert
Revision Scheduled Next Month on the 8th to Designate as Class 2 Infectious Diseases

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The quarantine authorities have issued an infectious disease crisis alert at the 'interest' level for monkeypox and announced plans to revise the notification to designate it as a second-class infectious disease.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that it made this decision after consulting the Crisis Management Expert Committee on the 30th and holding a monkeypox-related crisis evaluation meeting on the afternoon of the 31st.

The domestic infectious disease crisis alert has four levels: interest, caution, warning, and severe. The 'interest' level is issued in situations of 'occurrence and spread' of new infectious diseases overseas. Currently, overseas infectious diseases with issued crisis alerts include COVID-19, MERS, and avian influenza (AI). Past cases where an interest-level crisis alert was issued include Zika virus infection in 2016 and plague in 2017.

The KDCA stated that although no domestic cases of monkeypox have been reported yet, if confirmed cases are identified domestically later, the crisis alert level may be raised to the 'caution' stage.

The procedure to revise the notification to designate monkeypox as a second-class infectious disease is currently underway, with the notification expected to be issued on the 8th of next month. Until the notification is revised, the quarantine authorities explained that monkeypox will be treated as a new infectious disease syndrome, implementing proactive management such as suspected patient reporting, epidemiological investigations, designation of treatment institutions, and isolation response.

At the crisis evaluation meeting held that day, concerns were raised that the possibility of monkeypox entering the country is increasing amid the rise in overseas arrivals. The risk level for high-risk groups was assessed as 'medium,' and for the general public as 'low.' High-risk groups refer to people who have come into contact with confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases without appropriate personal protective equipment.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on the 29th (local time) in its report on monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries that it assesses monkeypox as a 'moderate risk' level. WHO divides risk assessment into five stages: ▲ Level 0 Very Low Risk ▲ Level 1 Low Risk ▲ Level 2 Moderate Risk ▲ Level 3 High Risk ▲ Level 4 Very High Risk.

So far, 473 confirmed cases and 136 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported in 31 countries. It is unusual for monkeypox to be confirmed and spread in countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain, where it is not endemic.

Accordingly, the quarantine authorities have activated a task force from that day and plan to closely monitor the outbreak situation in various countries overseas while strengthening community patient surveillance and suspected case response through cooperation with local governments, the medical community, and private experts.

If symptoms suspected of monkeypox such as fever, chills, or vesicular rash occur within three weeks after returning to the country, it is recommended to contact 1339 for guidance on countermeasures. When visiting medical institutions with these symptoms, patients should wear masks and inform medical staff of their overseas travel history, adhering to infection prevention behavior guidelines.

A KDCA official said, "Cooperation from the public and the medical community is crucial for early detection of monkeypox and preventing its spread in the community," and urged, "Citizens visiting or traveling to countries where monkeypox has occurred should avoid contact with symptomatic individuals and wild animals such as rodents, and comply with personal hygiene rules and safe travel guidelines such as wearing masks and washing hands."

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