Authorities in mainland China have announced on Friday, August 16, that they will begin screening travellers entering the country for symptoms of Mpox, also known as Monkeypox. This decision comes two days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox as a global health emergency.
Chinese customs has also urged travellers arriving from countries where the Mpox virus has occurred, who have been in contact with Mpox carriers, or who are displaying symptoms to declare their circumstances to customs when entering China. Symptoms of Mpox include fever, headaches, muscle aches, and rashes, boils, or sores on the skin. In addition, goods, vehicles, and containers entering the country from areas with Mpox cases will also be screened and should be sanitised.
At the time of writing, Hong Kong has not released plans to issue similar travel screenings, but preventive measures to the health emergency alert have been activated, which includes enhanced surveillance, strengthening port health measures, and preparing quarantine and hospital measures. As of August 14, a total of 67 cases of Mpox have been recorded in Hong Kong, 13 of which were recorded this year.
At least 13 African countries have reported Mpox outbreaks, with infected cases in the thousands and 517 deaths, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There is also a new sexually transmissible strain of the virus which has spread rapidly in eastern DRC and its neighbouring countries. Sweden announced the first case outside of the African continent on Thursday, August 15, which is a ‘more dangerous variant’ of Mpox. The WHO has since warned that further cases of this new strain are likely to appear in Europe.
Keep an eye on the Hong Kong government’s Mpox-related releases here.
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