COVID-19 measures can also screen monkeypox

The first monkeypox case in the Chinese mainland, an imported one, was reported in Chongqing on Friday. All the close contacts were timely quarantined, and no more cases have been reported since.

The case in Chongqing was detected during the COVID-19 quarantine measures for arrivals. The COVID-19 prevention and control measures have played an important role in preventing the monkeypox virus from being imported and spreading.

The incubation period of the monkeypox virus ranges from five to 21 days－it is from six to 13 days for most cases. The 10-day quarantine measures for COVID-19 prevention and control are therefore expected to enable most monkeypox cases arriving from abroad to be identified.

Take the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus as an example, which was spread from Western countries to the Western Pacific region, it generally followed the route of from Europe and the United States to Australia, then to Singapore, Japan, Thailand, etc, then to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan island and then to the Chinese mainland.

Considering that Australia, Singapore and New Zealand are the only three countries in the Western Pacific that have more than five monkeypox cases, China can continue to rely on its COVID-19 prevention and control measures to screen monkeypox cases.

The transmission mode of monkeypox is complex, including contact with infected animal lesions, blood, etc, or infected animal bites or scratches. In this wave of monkeypox infections close contact between people is the most important mode of transmission, including contact with articles contaminated by patient secretions.

As the country implements strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures, there is no need for panic over the monkeypox virus, and the public only need to heed the warnings of the epidemic prevention and control departments and be familiar with the transmission model of the monkeypox virus. People should follow the COVID-19 protocols, as most of the measures targeting the monkeypox virus are similar to those required for COVID-19 prevention and control.