China announced on Friday that it will start screening individuals and goods entering the country for Mpox over the next six months.
This decision comes just two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global health emergency.
According to China’s customs administration, travelers from countries experiencing Mpox outbreaks, those who have had contact with confirmed cases, or individuals showing symptoms should ‘take the initiative to declare to customs when entering the country.’
The statement also highlighted that vehicles, containers, and items from Mpox-affected regions should be sanitized.
This move follows Sweden’s report on Thursday of the first case outside Africa involving a more dangerous variant of Mpox.
The WHO has warned of the likelihood of further cases of this new strain in Europe.
On Wednesday, the WHO escalated its alert to the highest level due to the worsening Mpox situation in Africa, declaring it a global public health emergency.
The previous day, the African Union’s health watchdog had also declared a public health emergency in response to the intensifying outbreak.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it was first identified in humans in 1970, and has since spread to other nations.
The disease, caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals to humans and through close human contact, results in fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.”
