As a new strain of mpox spreading in Africa — clade 1b — would eventually enter Taiwan, the government is bolstering its preparedness, including by raising public awareness and securing sufficient medical capacity, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday.
Thailand last week announced its first confirmed case of clade 1b mpox — which is more contagious and deadlier than the previous strain — in a 66-year-old man who arrived in Bangkok from an African country on Aug. 14, making it the first country in Asia to detect the new strain.
The country has also tightened surveillance and screening measures at its international airports.
Photo: CNA
Asked if the first confirmed case in Asia would affect Taiwan’s mpox prevention measures, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said the new strain has only been detected in Sweden and Thailand outside of Africa.
Thailand has higher risks as it has direct flights with African countries and Bangkok is an important international transportation hub, so other major transportation hubs in Asia, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, might also have increased risks, Lo said.
“If the outbreak in Africa continues to spread and expand, it would possibly enter Taiwan sooner or later,” he said.
“Therefore, the government would continue to remain alert and strengthen preparedness, including by raising public awareness at national borders, and ensuring sufficient local testing, vaccine supply, and treatment capacity,” he said.
Capacity is sufficient at present, so people do not have to be concerned, he said, adding that the CDC is confident it would promptly detect and contain the virus if it enters Taiwan.
Regarding news reports in other countries that mpox might be transmitted through droplets, Lo said the previous strain of mpox has already shown to be transmissible through respiratory droplets, but its main transmission route is still close physical contact with an infected person, such as touching, kissing, hugging or engaging in sexual activity.
It is different from flu or COVID-19, which can transmit through airborne droplets and small particles, even with short periods of close contact with an infected person, he said.
“We know people are concerned, but if they are traveling to countries where the new strain is spreading, not going on an animal safari, and would not have sexual activity or close physical contact with local residents, then they do not need to be overly concerned, nor do they need to get vaccinated before traveling,” he added.
The WHO on Tuesday said that droplets were a minor route of transmission for mpox compared with physical contact, and that “close, physical skin-to-skin” contact is the chief route of transmission, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday.
Separately, Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases data showed that 1,333 cases, including an estimated more than 250 deaths, of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) had been reported in Japan as of Aug. 11, the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun reported on Monday.
STSS is a severe form of invasive Group A Streptococcus (strep A) that is commonly referred to as “flesh-eating bacteria.”
Lo said that strep A is not a communicable notifiable disease, but the CDC has surveillance data from contracted labs in hospitals, and cases in Taiwan have not significantly increased this year, unlike the situation in Japan.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said strep A are bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin, which can cause disease, with symptoms including sore throat and skin lesions.
In immunocompromised people, young children and infants, it might also develop into invasive strep A, causing necrotizing fasciitis (a bacterial infection that results in the death of soft tissue), pneumonia, septicemia and STSS, he said.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent strep A infections, so preventive measures, especially for high-risk groups, include wearing a mask, washing hands thoroughly, keeping open cuts and skin wounds clean and covered, and seeking medical attention if signs of infection are detected.
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