UK Designates 'Wonsungidu-chang' as a Legal Infectious Disease... "Mandatory Reporting for Suspected Cases"

UK Designates Monkeypox as a Legal Infectious Disease
South Korea Also Classifies It as a 'Class 2 Legal Infectious Disease' Starting from the 8th

The monkeypox virus as photographed by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Germany using an electron microscope in 2004. Photo by RKI [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The UK health authorities have recently designated monkeypox, which is rapidly spreading worldwide, as a Notifiable disease.

According to Sky News UK on the 7th (local time), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has mandated that from the 8th, all doctors in the UK must report suspected monkeypox cases to local health authorities. Additionally, laboratories must notify the UKHSA if the virus is identified in samples.

This measure came after 302 cases of monkeypox infection were reported in the UK the previous day. Wendy Shepherd, the UKHSA monkeypox lead, told Sky News, "Rapid diagnosis and (infection) reporting are key to blocking transmission and suppressing further spread," adding, "Designating monkeypox as a notifiable disease will help quickly identify the disease and enable treatment and control."

David Heymann, professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said, "(The designation as a notifiable disease) is to enable the government to focus monitoring not only on the identified risk groups so far but also on the entire population," and evaluated, "It will help clearly identify all risk groups and understand the epidemiology and extent of disease spread."

The UKHSA explained that the risk of monkeypox transmission to the general public is low, stating, "The virus, which spreads through close physical contact, does not spread easily."

Meanwhile, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency also designated monkeypox as a Class 2 notifiable infectious disease on the same day. Once designated as a notifiable infectious disease, there is an obligation to report confirmed cases to quarantine authorities within 24 hours according to the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act. Furthermore, the introduction of third-generation vaccines proven effective for monkeypox prevention is underway.

Meanwhile, monkeypox infection cases are continuing worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of the 5th, 780 cases have been confirmed in 27 non-endemic countries.

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