Mpox outbreak: Here’s how Asian nations have reacted to WHO emergency declaration

Countries in Asia are closely monitoring for mpox cases after the World Health Organization recently declared an escalating outbreak in Africa as a global public health emergency.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is classified into two distinct groups: clade 1 and clade 2. It is transmissible through direct contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated items.

Clade 2 was responsible for the 2022 outbreak, which has led to around 100,000 cases worldwide, NBC News reported, but now, a version of clade 1 has spread internationally, after starting in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2023.

In making the declaration, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

On Thursday, Sweden reported the first known case of clade 1 outside Africa. Then on Monday, the Philippines reported its first case of mpox since December of last year, although it has not yet identified the strain.

Here’s how the four largest economies in Asia have responded so far:

China’s customs authorities announced they will strengthen surveillance at ports of entry.

People arriving from nations and areas with confirmed mpox cases and have been exposed to mpox with symptoms such as fever, headache, backpain or rashes must declare their condition to customs, the General Administration of Customs said.

Aircraft and vessels carrying containers, as well as cargo, arriving from nations and areas with mpox cases will also be sanitized, reported local news.

These measures went into effect Thursday, and will be enforced for the next six months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been continuously monitoring the mpox outbreak, the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.

The last case of mpox was detected in March, and as of Sunday, there are reported cases in the country, according to officials.

In the past week, a meeting of health experts was held by India’s National Center of Disease Control to assess the risk, officials said. And health teams at international airports have also been made aware of the situation.

Health authorities have also announced that they will enhance surveillance in an effort to promptly detect potential cases, as well as improve laboratory testing capabilities for early diagnosis, officials added, though they did not include any further details in the statement.

Health-care providers, such as hospitals and clinics, have also been tasked with increasing awareness of the virus.

Officials in Japan met on Friday to discuss potential actions and review strategies, local news reported, and agreed to gather data from countries where outbreaks have been confirmed.

Authorities plan to raise awareness of mpox and its spread among travelers entering and leaving the country, The Japan Times reported. It’s unclear if the country will enforce any additional measures.

Meanwhile, the country’s health minister, Keizo Takemi, recently said at a press conference that Tokyo is gearing up to send Japan-made vaccines made to the Congo, in response to a request, the outlet added.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has said that while the mpox situation remains “manageable” under existing measures, it will still bolster quarantine and surveillance efforts, according to local news.

The KDCA issued the remarks on Friday after holding a meeting with medical experts to discuss risk of an outbreak.

During the meeting officials decided to enforce quarantine measures for those on direct flights from countries with “epidemiological investigators and public health doctors deployed on-site,” and decided not to reissue a crisis alert that was lifted May of last year, The Korea Times reported.

Korea is also planning to boost awareness campaigns to urge those with symptoms to go to a doctor immediately, it added.