The Centers for Disease Control yesterday issued travel alerts for 44 states that have reported monkeypox cases that were domestically transmitted or of unknown origin.
Since May, 5,022 cases of the disease, which mostly occurred in Africa in previous years, have been reported in 55 states worldwide, with the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Portugal as of yesterday confirming the highest case numbers, the CDC said.
In 11 of those 55 states, including Taiwan, only imported cases have been recorded, the CDC said.
Photo: AFP / Brian W.J. Mahy, BSc, MA, PhD, ScD, DSc / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Taiwan has issued a level 2 travel health notice, the second-highest in its three-tier system, for the 44 states that have posted domestic cases or cases of unknown origin, cautioning travelers to take enhanced precautions, the CDC said.
The 44 states are the UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Israel, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Georgia, Luxembourg, the US, Canada, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, the Republic of the Congo, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
On Friday last week, Taiwan reported its first and thus far only case of monkeypox — a man who had returned from Germany.
Symptoms of the disease include a fever, chills, a headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion, followed a few days later by a rash that turns into blisters, before forming scabs that eventually fall off.
The virus can spread through close contact with an infected animal or person, and transmission occurs through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, body fluids or other materials contaminated with the virus, the CDC said.
The CDC earlier advised people to avoid contact with animals that might carry the disease, such as rodents and primates, when visiting places where the virus is spreading.
People should avoid contact with infected individuals, the CDC said.
People who develop symptoms of the disease should seek medical attention as soon as possible and inform medical personnel of their recent travel and contact history, the CDC said.
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