HONG KONG: A 30-year-old man who arrived from the Philippines after traveling through the United States and Canada has been diagnosed with monkeypox, which has reported to be the first case of monkeypox in Hong Kong, according to health officials on Tuesday (Sept. 6).
Monkeypox, a viral illness that the World Health Organization has deemed as a worldwide health emergency, has now been brought for the first time to Hong Kong.
Like the mainland, the Chinese special administrative region has not reported any local instances of monkeypox.
Fever, pains, and skin lesions are among the common minor symptoms of monkeypox.
Health officials announced on Tuesday that Hong Kong’s government will upgrade the response level for the monkeypox outbreak to an “alert” level.
As verified cases reached 52,700 and non-endemic countries reported their first linked deaths, more than 90 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks.
The Hong Kong government said it has increased surveillance for the virus among travellers and within the local community and expects to acquire a monkeypox vaccine this month.
