By Lucy Adautin
China announced on Friday that it will commence screening individuals and goods entering the country for mpox over the next six months.
This decision comes just two days after the World Health Organization declared the virus a global health emergency.
People travelling from countries where virus outbreaks have occurred, who have been in contact with mpox cases or display symptoms should “take the initiative to declare to customs when entering the country”, China’s customs administration said in a statement.
Vehicles, containers, and items from regions with mpox cases should be thoroughly disinfected, according to the statement.
Recently, Sweden reported the first instance outside of Africa of a more dangerous mpox variant, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that additional imported cases of this new strain in Europe are likely.
WHO had also recently issued its highest alert level due to the worsening mpox situation in Africa, declaring it a global public health emergency.
This came just after the African Union’s health agency also declared a public health emergency in response to the escalating outbreak.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, where the viruspreviously known as monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970, has seen a rapid spread of mpox, which has since reached other countries.
Mpox is a contagious disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans primarily through infected animals, but can also spread from person to person via close physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.
