S.Korea reports 16 new mpox infections in 1st week of May

Seoul, May 8 (IANS) South Korea confirmed 16 new cases of mpox for the first week of May, bringing the country's total to 60, health authorities said on Monday.

Eleven of them are from Seoul, while two are from Gyeonggi province, and three are from Incheon, Busan and Gwangju, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Out of the 16 patients, 14 are Korean nationals and two are foreigners, and none of them travelled abroad in the past three weeks, it added.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is traditionally confined to regions in Central and West Africa, and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea reported the first case of mpox on June 22 last year and four more cases through March. The first five cases were linked to overseas travel.

But most of the recent infections that began April 7 were believed to be locally transmitted, with no overseas travel history.

--IANS

int/khz/