The Third Domestic Monkeypox Case Confirmed in South Korea...A Korean National Arrived from UAE

One Week Required from Initial Symptom Onset to Confirmation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The third domestic case of monkeypox has been confirmed. It has been two and a half months since the last monkeypox case was reported in Korea on September 3. The first case was reported on June 22.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director Baek Kyung-ran) announced on the 15th that a Korean national who entered from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 4th tested positive for monkeypox DNA and was confirmed as a patient.

The patient was asymptomatic upon arrival but developed fever, sweating, and dizziness on the 8th, and visited a hospital in Gyeonggi Province on the 13th due to systemic symptoms and painful skin lesions. It took about a week from the onset of symptoms to the confirmation of the diagnosis.

The Disease Control Headquarters identified the patient through a report to the 1399 call center from the medical institution and conducted genetic testing. On the same day, the patient was transferred to the National Medical Center for monitoring, and an in-depth epidemiological investigation is underway to identify additional contacts. The headquarters plans to classify and manage contacts based on exposure risk by tracing the patient’s movements during the infectious period. They explained that the patient currently experiences localized pain but is generally in good condition.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized, "Monkeypox is a disease that can be sufficiently managed with the current quarantine response capabilities," and stressed that "early detection and blocking community spread require the cooperation of the public and medical community above all."

They urged citizens traveling to or returning from countries with monkeypox outbreaks to follow personal hygiene rules such as handwashing and wearing masks, and to consult the Disease Control Agency call center if symptoms develop within 21 days after returning. They also requested medical staff to wear appropriate protective equipment when treating suspected monkeypox patients and to actively cooperate in patient surveillance and reporting.

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