TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first batch of antiviral medications for monkeypox arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday (July 27) in a precautionary measure against a global outbreak of the infectious disease.

Tecovirimat, an oral medicine, can be used to treat monkeypox, smallpox, and cowpox, which belong to the family of orthopoxviruses. Most monkeypox cases do not require special treatment, according to the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency.

The medicine will be reserved for severe cases and patients with weakened immunity. The batch contains 504 courses, with more to be procured if necessary, and deals on monkeypox vaccine doses are currently being discussed, said the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.

Monkeypox was designated as a category 2 communicable disease out of a tier of five on June 23. This means new cases must be reported to the authorities and epidemic control implemented in 24 hours, and patients should be quarantined when needed, pursuant to the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).

Taiwan has recorded two imported cases, from Germany and the U.S. On June 30 a level 2 travel alert was imposed on 49 countries that have reported monkeypox infections.

The risk of the illness is deemed low in Taiwan now, as those visiting affected areas are urged to avoid close contact with strangers. WHO has declared monkeypox a global emergency and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday advised men at risk to reduce the number of sexual partners as 98% of the cases in the outbreak were men who had sex with men.