A contract has been signed to purchase an antiviral used to treat monkeypox, with the drug expected to arrive next month at the earliest, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that negotiations for monkeypox vaccines are ongoing.
The WHO on Saturday declared a global monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
The centers said it would monitor the spread of the disease, while urging doctors to report suspected cases within 24 hours, as it has been listed as a category 2 notifiable infectious disease.
Photo: AFP
Ten suspected cases have been reported in Taiwan so far, while one Taiwanese who returned from Germany and one who returned from the US were confirmed to have monkeypox, the centers said.
People who experience suspected monkeypox symptoms should seek medical treatment immediately and report their travel history to a doctor, it added.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the centers signed a contract to purchase Tecovirimat, an antiviral used to treat monkeypox, and a flight for its delivery is being arranged.
The amount of Tecovirimat purchased would be kept confidential for now, he said, adding that the drug would be administered to severe cases and people with a high risk of developing severe illness.
The centers is negotiating a procurement contract for the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic vaccine, a third-generation smallpox vaccine that could be useful for preventing monkeypox, Chuang said, adding that it would hopefully arrive before the end of next month.
The centers said that as global monkeypox cases began escalating and were reported in neighboring countries last month, it listed monkeypox as a category 2 notifiable infectious disease on June 23, and invited experts to plan the procurement of antiviral drugs and vaccines, as well as establish a standard procedure for testing.
The centers on June 30 also issued a level 2 alert travel warning for 49 countries where local monkeypox cases or cases with unknown infection source had been reported.
A total of 16,836 cases have been confirmed in 74 countries or areas, from when the outbreak began in May to Friday, it said, adding that the outbreak is currently more prevalent in European countries and the US.
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