M-Fox Risk Level Seen as "Moderate" by Public... Awareness of Vaccine and Treatment is Low

Recently, as domestic cases of Mpox (monkeypox) have been occurring intermittently, the public's perception of risk has been found to be at a 'moderate' level. However, understanding of Mpox vaccines and treatments is relatively low, indicating that more active communication from health authorities is necessary to alleviate excessive anxiety.

M-Fox archive photo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 1st, Professor Yum Myungsoon's team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, in collaboration with Korea Research, announced the results of a survey on 'Mpox Awareness.' Conducted among 1,000 adult men and women aged 18 and over, the survey showed that the public rated their 'personal infection risk' at an average of 2.13 on a 5-point scale (1 very low to 5 very high), close to 'low' (2 points). Regarding the perception of risk related to a domestic Mpox outbreak, the likelihood of occurrence scored an average of 2.75, severity 2.96, and fear 2.85, all below the 'moderate' (3 points) level across all items.

In terms of understanding Mpox, respondents were relatively well informed about infection routes and symptoms, but knowledge about vaccines and treatments was comparatively lacking. Items with 'true' as the correct answer, such as 'Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus,' 'Mpox is mainly transmitted through close contact (skin contact, sexual contact) with infected animals or people,' and 'The main symptoms of Mpox include fever, rash, skin lesions, and chills,' all had correct response rates above 50%. Conversely, items with 'false' as the correct answer, such as 'There are no Mpox treatments available domestically' and 'There are no Mpox preventive vaccines available domestically,' had correct response rates of only 19.7% and 15.2%, respectively.

Additionally, when the health authorities' Mpox response was presented in four areas?▲actively providing secured diagnostic tests, vaccines, and treatments to high-risk and exposed groups ▲increasing communication and dissemination of risk information and preventive behavioral guidelines related to Mpox ▲actively protecting Mpox patients from stigma and discrimination ▲strengthening community participation and cooperation?the average importance scores were 4.02, 4.06, 3.92, and 4.04, respectively, all at the 'important' (4 points) level.

Professor Yum Myungsoon explained, "The survey results show that Mpox is perceived as a low to moderate risk both in terms of individual infection and domestic outbreak potential," adding, "This aligns closely with the stance of authorities and experts who emphasize preemptive diagnostic testing and vaccination strategies for high-risk and exposed groups, and who consider the possibility of a nationwide Mpox epidemic to be low."

She continued, "So far, government authorities have emphasized that the public does not need to feel excessive anxiety about Mpox and that vaccines and treatments are sufficiently secured. However, the actual survey results showed higher incorrect response rates than correct ones on quiz questions about available Mpox treatments and vaccines domestically," noting, "It appears necessary to enhance communication and provide specific behavioral guidelines to increase the general public's efficacy in responding to Mpox."

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