Monkeypox Continues to Spread Worldwide... First Confirmed Case Also Reported in Brazil

First Monkeypox Infection Cases Reported in Brazil and Greece
S?o Paulo Resident with Overseas Travel History Confirmed and Isolated
Korea Disease Control Agency Issues Notice Designating Monkeypox as a 'Second-Class Legal Infectious Disease' to Prepare for Domestic Influx

Hands of a monkeypox patient in Congo, Africa, 1996-1997. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Joo-eun Lee] As monkeypox, designated as a second-class legal infectious disease, is spreading worldwide, Brazil reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox on the 8th (local time).

Earlier, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), stated in a media briefing that over 1,000 cases have been reported in 29 non-endemic countries so far.

On the 8th (local time), the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced that a 41-year-old man from S?o Paulo, who recently traveled to Spain and Portugal, tested positive for monkeypox. Concerns are growing that the virus will spread actively to other Latin American countries following Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

The first confirmed patient in Brazil is currently isolated at Emilio Ribas Hospital in S?o Paulo. Additionally, eight suspected monkeypox cases have been reported nationwide, and the Ministry of Health is monitoring all of them under isolation.

Monkeypox, which has symptoms similar to smallpox, has been considered an endemic disease native to about 12 countries in West and Central Africa. However, since the first case was reported in London, UK, on the 7th of last month, confirmed cases have emerged across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Australia, spreading to various countries.

Following Brazil's first reported infection, local health authorities in Greece also announced their first confirmed case. The WHO has classified monkeypox as a 'moderate risk' level in global public health.

It explained that if monkeypox establishes itself as a human pathogen and spreads to high-risk groups such as children and immunocompromised individuals, the risk level could be raised to 'high risk.' The WHO also mentioned that some countries are considering vaccinating healthcare workers and close contacts (including sexual partners of infected individuals) within four days of exposure.

Meanwhile, on the 8th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a notice designating monkeypox as a second-class infectious disease. Accordingly, confirmed monkeypox cases must be reported to quarantine authorities within 24 hours under the 'Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act.'

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