3 New Domestic Mpox Cases Confirmed in One Day...Total 34 Cases

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on the 26th that three additional domestic cases of Mpox (monkeypox) have been confirmed, bringing the total number of patients to 34.

All of the individuals confirmed the previous day are Korean nationals. One person reported directly to the KDCA call center (1339) after developing suspected symptoms. The other two were confirmed through medical institution reports.

From the first presumed domestic infection case on the 7th to the 25th, there have been a total of 29 domestic infection cases: 27 Koreans and 2 foreigners. The regional distribution is 13 in Seoul, 7 in Gyeonggi, 3 in Gyeongnam, 2 in Gyeongbuk, 2 in Daegu, 1 in Jeonnam, and 1 in Chungbuk.

Among them, the only person with overseas travel history within three weeks of symptom onset was determined through epidemiological investigation to have no connection to overseas sources. It was confirmed that 89.7% had close contact with anonymous individuals at high-risk facilities within three weeks before symptoms appeared.

According to the KDCA’s analysis of domestic confirmed cases, the main symptoms include rash accompanied by localized skin lesions (ulcers, swelling, rash) with anal and genital pain. Early symptoms can also include fever, headache, muscle pain, and chills, which are difficult to distinguish from Mpox initially.

The KDCA stated that to minimize additional cases, they are guiding testing and vaccination for close contacts and are making every effort to promote prevention activities targeting high-risk groups.

The KDCA emphasized, "If you have risk factors such as close contact with suspected patients or suspicious symptoms, please consult the KDCA call center. Special caution should be taken to avoid close contact (skin or sexual contact) with strangers."

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