Monkeypox in mainland China ‘only a matter of time’, says top scientist

However, the virus is not expected to cause a large-scale epidemic in the country, according to Wu Zunyou of the Chinese CDC
Earliest cases likely to appear in men who have sex with men, then spread to other populations, he says

Health in China

Kate Zhang

Published: 2:09pm, 26 Jul 2022

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It is only a matter of time before monkeypox is found in mainland China, but a large-scale outbreak is unlikely, according to one of the country’s top epidemiologists.

“Judging from the population and transmission methods of monkeypox in European countries and the Americas, it is only a matter of time before monkeypox is introduced into mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau,” Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote on his Weibo account on Monday.

Wu said it was highly likely that the earliest monkeypox infections in mainland China would be among men who have sex with men and then spread to other populations.

China steps up monkeypox measures to stop virus entering country

“Due to the limitations of the transmission method, the speed of transmission and the scope of the population affected will be far from that of Covid,” Wu said. “In other words, the monkeypox outbreak will not cause a large-scale epidemic in the country.”

Taiwan reported a confirmed case of monkeypox in late June. There have been no reports of monkeypox in mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.

To prevent the introduction of monkeypox into mainland China, Chinese customs announced new measures this week requiring travellers entering the country to declare any possible exposure to the virus and freight carriers infected or suspected of being infected to carry out sanitation treatments.

China’s National Health Commission has required all cities to conduct a monkeypox virus check for inbound travellers and closely monitor people with rash symptoms.

02:12

WHO declares monkeypox a global health emergency as the agency raises its highest-level alert

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern last week. More than 16,000 cases have been reported to the health agency from 75 countries and regions.

The clinical presentation of monkeypox is similar to that of smallpox, but it is less contagious, according to the WHO. It typically causes fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and can lead to various medical complications.

Monkeypox is mainly spread from person to person through close contact, including close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or recently contaminated objects. The virus can also be transmitted to a fetus through the placenta.

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Wu said monkeypox had not historically been a sexually transmitted disease, but about 95 per cent of cases reported in Europe and the Americas were infected through sexual contact.

He added the rise in cases in children meant that anyone could become infected with monkeypox through close skin-to-skin contact.

Wu said that given the virus’ mode of transmission, avoiding close contact with people who had come from areas affected by the monkeypox outbreak was an important preventive measure.