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(Reporter Shi Mengzhu from People's Daily Health Client) On August 14, local time, the World Health Organization announced that the monkeypox epidemic constituted a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC). This is the second time in two years that the WHO has announced that the monkeypox epidemic constitutes a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern."

It is understood that the "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" is the highest global public health alert that the WHO can issue. This is the eighth time in history that this has been announced. The previous seven times were the H1N1 influenza in 2009, the West African Ebola virus in 2014, polio in 2014, the Zika virus from 2015 to 2016, the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019, COVID-19 (new coronavirus) in 2020, and the monkeypox epidemic in 2022.

"A new, rapidly spreading monkeypox virus strain has been identified in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in neighbouring countries where no outbreaks have been previously reported, and the potential for further spread of this strain in Africa and beyond is very worrying," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 15,600 cases of monkeypox have been reported so far this year, exceeding the total number of cases last year, with 537 deaths. On August 13, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency in Africa and called on African countries to take urgent action to prevent the continued spread of monkeypox on the continent.

The national epidemic situation overview of statutory infectious diseases released by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that since 2024, a total of 357 cases of monkeypox have been reported in China, with no deaths, including 97 cases in January, 70 cases in February, 51 cases in March, 39 cases in April, 49 cases in May, and 51 cases in June.

"Monkeypox can be transmitted through close contact. The disease is usually mild, but in rare cases it can be fatal." On August 15, Li Liyan, director of the emergency department of Beijing Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, told the People's Daily Health Client reporter that monkeypox is a viral zoonosis. The initial symptoms of human infection with the monkeypox virus include headache, fever, muscle aches, etc., which can develop into a large rash on the face and body. Most infected people will recover within a few weeks, but some infected people will become seriously ill or even die.

As long as the monkeypox virus enters the human body through the skin or mucous membranes, people may get monkeypox. People can be infected by contact with respiratory secretions, lesion exudates, blood, and other body fluids of infected animals or humans. After leaving the human body, the monkeypox virus can survive on the surface of objects for a long time, and contact with virus-contaminated objects can also cause infection.

Li Liyan pointed out that the general population is susceptible. People who have been vaccinated with smallpox vaccine in the past have a certain degree of cross protection against monkeypox virus.

Therefore, there are currently many people traveling, especially traveling abroad, so everyone should pay attention to safety and hygiene when going out. At the same time, when medical staff come into contact with patients with relevant symptoms, they must ask about the patients' epidemiological history and consider the possibility of monkeypox infection.