China will start screening all arrivals for mpox as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of the virus within the country.
On Friday, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced that they have initiated surveillance for mpox, formerly recognized as monkeypox, on individuals and commodities entering China. GAC has confirmed that these novel restrictions will be enforced over a six-month period.
The announcement arrived 48 hours following the classification of a recent outbreak in Africa as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO), which urged for an immunization operation.
The GAC stated that individuals entering China from areas where the disease has been confirmed must report any symptoms, such as fever, headache and rashes to customs upon arrival. The officers will follow a prescribed procedure which includes medical measures and sample testing.
According to the statement, it is necessary for vehicles, containers and goods originating from areas where mpox cases have been detected to undergo sanitization.
The contagious Mpox is capable of transmitting through direct proximity, resulting in symptoms similar to the flu, a blistering rash that later forms crusts over time and swollen lymph nodes. As per WHO’s records, generally this illness isn’t severe except when it leads to fatalities which are rare occurrences.
In the previous year, China’s National Health Commission categorized mpox as a Category B contagious illness similar to COVID-19, AIDS and SARS. This categorization empowered national agencies to execute drastic measures such as limiting group events, halting work and education activities temporarily, and isolating specific regions in case of an epidemic situation.
In 1958, Mpox was initially detected as a separate disease in laboratory monkeys located in Denmark. However, it wasn’t until the year 1970 when this ailment emerged among humans and its first documented cases appeared within Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia and Sierra Leone. The virus has maintained an indigenous presence throughout central Africa predominantly found in DRC. Late last year upon experiencing spread outside its original area of impact , WHO had to declare an emergency while concurrently renaming the condition mpox so that any “racist or stigmatizing language” issues were avoided at all times .
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, urged for a collective global effort on Wednesday to contain the spread of the disease and protect lives worldwide. His call came after an outbreak in DRC that went viral across neighboring countries earlier this month.
