Gyeonggi-do Activates Emergency Response System for Monkeypox... Establishes Quarantine Task Force, etc.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] In response to the first domestic case of monkeypox infection in South Korea, Gyeonggi Province formed a quarantine task force on the 23rd and activated an emergency response system by designating a dedicated hospital.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 24th that it has organized a quarantine task force of 22 members operating 24 hours a day, led by the Director of the Health and Wellness Bureau as the quarantine officer, and consisting of four teams: ▲General Team (Disease Policy Division) ▲Epidemiological Investigation Team (Infectious Disease Management Support Group) ▲Patient Management Team (Disease Policy Division) ▲Diagnostic Testing Team (Health and Environment Research Institute).

At the city and county levels, epidemiological investigation teams led by the heads of public health centers have been formed, maintaining a 24-hour cooperative system between the province and local governments.

The provincial and local quarantine task forces will not only respond immediately by monitoring suspected patients and isolating confirmed cases within the province but also strengthen community surveillance and response by promoting preventive measures for suspected cases.

Additionally, the province designated Bundang Seoul National University Hospital as the dedicated hospital for monkeypox and secured two dedicated beds. The province will also consider securing additional beds depending on the trend of patient occurrences.

Ryu Young-chul, Director of the Health and Wellness Bureau of the province, stated, "Maintaining a rapid reporting system for suspected patients' treatment and confirmed cases at medical institutions is of utmost importance in responding to monkeypox." He added, "We plan to strengthen on-site training in cooperation with local medical communities and distribute guidance documents to medical staff."

Monkeypox is an acute febrile rash disease caused by a viral infection. Its symptoms are similar to smallpox but are reported to be less severe. After infection, symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, chills, weakness, and lymphadenopathy begin, followed by rash symptoms 1 to 3 days later. Symptoms appear after 5 to 21 days (average 6 to 13 days) post-infection and last for 2 to 4 weeks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the recent fatality rate is 3 to 6%.

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