M-Fox Cumulative 30 Cases... Increase in Infections Without Overseas Travel History

30 Confirmed Cases from 6th Patient... 5 Times Increase in 17 Days
All Without Overseas Travel History... Suspected Community Infection

Confirmed cases of MPOX (formerly known as monkeypox) are rapidly increasing. Since the 6th patient was reported on the 7th, the number of confirmed cases has increased fivefold in 17 days, reaching a total of 30 cases. The issue is that the number of confirmed cases without overseas travel history is on the rise, indicating that community transmission appears to be underway.

On the 24th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that 10 additional MPOX patients had been confirmed. The new confirmed cases reside in Seoul (6), Gyeonggi Province (3), and North Gyeongsang Province (1). Among them, 9 are Korean nationals and 1 is a foreigner. All confirmed patients had no overseas travel history within 3 weeks of symptom onset, and exposure risk within the country was identified. The main symptoms of the confirmed cases were skin lesions accompanied by skin pain, and rashes were confirmed in all patients.

Regarding the route of recognition, 4 cases were reported by medical institutions, 5 cases inquired directly through the KDCA call center, and 1 case visited a public health center in person.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

MPOX showed relatively quiet patterns from its first occurrence in June last year until the end of February this year. The health authorities also downgraded the crisis alert level from 'Caution' to 'Interest' in February. However, since the 6th patient was reported on the 7th of this month, confirmed cases have been rapidly increasing. The health authorities raised the crisis alert level again from 'Interest' to 'Caution' starting on the 13th.

The transmission pattern is also different from the initial phase. The 1st to 5th patients all had overseas entry history or were related to such cases. However, recent infections are presumed to be community transmissions as there is no overseas travel history within 3 weeks of the first symptom onset. Professor Jeong Jae-hoon of Gachon University’s Department of Preventive Medicine stated on Facebook on the 19th, "Considering the trend over the past month, South Korea is judged to be in the stage of full-fledged community spread," and added, "I think the number of infection cases may increase further over the next three months."

He continued, "Countries that experienced large-scale outbreaks earlier than South Korea showed a duration of up to 6 to 7 months of sustained spread," and said, "In South Korea’s case as well, infections are expected to increase for about three more months and then gradually decrease. The scale of the outbreak could reach a situation where dozens or more cases are confirmed."

However, the health authorities explained that concerns and risks of large-scale infection are low due to the fact that MPOX is transmitted through close contact, has a fatality rate below 1%, and that the response capacity is sufficient. Ji Young-mi, director of the KDCA, said, "MPOX is a disease that can be sufficiently managed with the current response capabilities, including vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic capacity," and added, "If you have suspicious symptoms, you should visit a nearby medical institution or public health center for consultation and testing."

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