TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese health authorities on Monday (July 25) assured the public of the country’s preparedness against monkeypox after the disease was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Taiwan has recorded two imported cases of the viral disease as of Monday, from Germany and the U.S. One has recovered, with nine close contacts exhibiting no symptoms to date, and the other case is currently hospitalized, CNA quoted Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control as saying.
Taiwan is keeping a close watch on the development of monkeypox and it is not considered of great concern in the country given that most cases reported globally were from specific groups and there's no broad transmission for now, said Victor Wang (王必勝), head of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The CECC urged the public against panicking, noting that the effort is ongoing to procure vaccines and medications against the infectious illness. Taiwan residents are cautioned against close contact with strangers during overseas travel and those showing symptoms such as a fever, rash, blisters, or swollen lymph nodes are asked to seek medical attention and report their travel history.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday (July 23) the monkeypox outbreak, which has appeared in more than 70 countries and is expanding, has qualified as a global health emergency that necessitates action. Europe and the U.S. account for the lion's share of the total 16,914 cases worldwide as of July 24, according to the Taiwan CDC.
A majority of the cases were men who had sex with other men, but sporadic women and child cases have also been reported. Some U.S. experts have voiced worry monkeypox could become “an entrenched sexually transmitted disease,” wrote AP.