No New Mpox Cases In Malaysia As WHO Declares Global Health Emergency

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In response to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a public health emergency of international concern over the recent upsurge of mpox in Africa, the ministry said Malaysia recorded only nine cases of mpox. The first case was detected in July 2023, and the last was recorded in November the same year.

"Based on our monitoring, no new mpox cases have been reported," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, 15 August.

It added that all the cases had engaged in "high-risk activities" and recovered.

The ministry explained that mpox is passed from human to human through close physical contact, and advised those who have travelled to countries with reported mpox cases to closely monitor their health status for 21 days upon returning from these countries.

Mpox is considered endemic to countries in central and west Africa.

However, WHO said there has been an emergence and rapid spread of a new virus strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as clade 1b, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual contact.

Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and the number of cases reported so far this year — 15,600 cases and 537 deaths — has already exceeded last year's total.

According to WHO, it causes a painful rash and spreads through contact with infected persons through touching, kissing, or sex, and even through contaminated materials such as sheets, clothes, or needles.

Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

A person with mpox is advised to avoid all physical contact with others, as they are contagious until after all lesions have crusted and a new layer of skin forms.