2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Taiwan

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Taiwan is a part of the larger outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan's first mpox case was reported on 24 June 2022.

2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Taiwan
DiseaseHuman mpox
LocationTaiwan
Arrival date24 June 2022 – ongoing (10 months and 21 days)
Confirmed cases8
Deaths
0

As of March 2023, there have been eight confirmed cases of mpox in Taiwan. Five cases were imported, and three cases were domestically transmitted.

Background
These paragraphs are an excerpt from Mpox and 2022–2023 mpox outbreak.

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)[1] is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals.[2] Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.[2] The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks.[3][4] There may be mild symptoms, and it may occur without any symptoms being apparent.[3][5] Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems.[6]

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus,[lower-alpha 1] a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus.[7] The variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is also in this genus.[8] It may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches.[9] Human-to-human transmission can occur through exposure to infected body fluids or contaminated objects, by small droplets, and possibly through the airborne route.[2][9] People can spread the virus from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and fallen off; with some evidence of spread for more than a week after lesions have crusted.[10] Diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's DNA.[11]

There is no known cure.[12] A study in 1988 found that the smallpox vaccine was around 85% protective in preventing infection in close contacts and in lessening the severity of the disease.[13] A newer smallpox and mpox vaccine based on modified vaccinia Ankara has been approved, but with limited availability.[3] Other measures include regular hand washing and avoiding sick people and animals.[14] Antiviral drugs, cidofovir and tecovirimat, vaccinia immune globulin and the smallpox vaccine may be used during outbreaks.[15][16] The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment.[16] Estimates of the risk of death vary from 1% to 10%, although few deaths as a consequence of mpox have been recorded since 2017.[17]

An ongoing outbreak of mpox was confirmed on 6 May 2022, beginning with a British resident who, after travelling to Nigeria (where the disease is endemic), presented symptoms consistent with mpox on 29 April 2022. The resident returned to the United Kingdom on 4 May, creating the country's index case of the outbreak.[18] The origin of several of the cases of mpox in the United Kingdom is unknown. Some monitors saw community transmission taking place in the London area as of mid-May,[19] but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in Europe in the previous months.[20]

Timeline
Mpox cases in Taiwan  ()
     Deaths        Confirmed cases
JunJunJulJulAugAugSepSepOctOct
Last 15 daysLast 15 days
Date
Cases (rise)
Deaths (rise)
2022-06-24
1(n.a.)
⋮
2022-07-12
2(n.a.)
⋮
2022-08-06
3(n.a.)
⋮
2022-09-03
3(n.a.)
⋮
2022-10-09
4(n.a.)

The first known case of the mpox outbreak in Taiwan was detected on 24 June 2022. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the case was a Taiwanese man in his 20s who had traveled to Germany for his studies. He returned to Taiwan on 16 June, started showing symptoms on 20 June, and tested positive for mpox on 24 June.[21][22][23] On 12 July, Taiwan reported its second case of mpox in a man in his 30s who had gone on a business trip to the United States.[24] On 6 August, a third case of imported mpox was reported, involving a man in his 20s who had returned to Taiwan from the United States.[25] The fourth imported case, reported on 9 October, involved a man in his 40s who had visited Canada, and developed symptoms in the United States.[26] The fifth case was reported on 15 February 2023.[27] By March 2023, the disease was confirmed to have been domestically transmitted.[28][29]

Responses

In May 2022, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control started increasing monitoring for mpox cases.[30] Later that month, health minister Chen Shih-chung stated that Taiwan was not yet planning to purchase a mpox vaccine.[31]

As the global outbreak spread, Taiwan designated mpox as a category 2 communicable disease on 23 June.[32] Two days after the index case was publicized, the CDC issued guidelines for risk assessment and control.[33] By 27 June, the CDC had begun working to reverse the vaccine policy declared in May, stating that talks to acquire mpox medications and vaccines had started.[34] Later on 30 June, the CDC issued a travel warning for 44 countries that had reported cases of mpox.[35] On 2 July, the CDC announced that they are planning to receive third-generation smallpox vaccines and antiviral drugs in late 2022. The CDC said that frontline medical workers and researchers will be the first to receive the vaccine.[36] On 24 July, the CDC announced that they signed a contract to purchase medication to treat mpox patients, and that a shipment will arrive in August at the earliest. The CDC also announced that they are in talks to purchase mpox vaccines, and that they are hoping to receive them by late August.[37] On 27 July, 504 courses of mpox medications arrived in Taiwan, to be used by severe cases and immunocompromised individuals.[38] On 1 September, Taiwan received its first doses of the mpox vaccine.[39][40]

Statistics
Total cases and deaths

New cases per day

Notes
  1. The World Health Organization (the authority on disease names) announced the new name "mpox" in November 2022. But virus naming is the responsibility of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), who are currently reviewing all orthopoxvirus species. As of March 2023, the official name of the virus remains "monkeypox virus".[1]

References
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  2. "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak: situation update". www.who.int. World Health Organization (WHO). 4 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. "WHO Factsheet – Monkeypox". World Health Organization (WHO). 19 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. "Signs and Symptoms Monkeypox". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  5. Sutcliffe, Catherine G.; Rimone, Anne W.; Moss, William J. (2020). "32.2. Poxviruses". In Ryan, Edward T.; Hill, David R.; Solomon, Tom; Aronson, Naomi; Endy, Timothy P. (eds.). Hunter's Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases E-Book (Tenth ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier. pp. 272–277. ISBN 978-0-323-55512-8.
  6. "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries". World Health Organization. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  7. Taha, M. J., Abuawwad, M. T., Alrubasy, W. A., Sameer, S. K., Alsafi, T., Al-Bustanji, Y., ... & Nashwan, A. J. Ocular manifestations of recent viral pandemics: A literature. health, 13, 14.
  8. Petersen, Brett W.; Damon, Inger K. (2020). "348. Smallpox, monkeypox and other poxvirus infections". In Goldman, Lee; Schafer, Andrew I. (eds.). Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Vol. 2 (26th ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier. pp. 2180–2183. ISBN 978-0-323-53266-2.
  9. "Transmission Monkeypox". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  10. Adler, Hugh; Gould, Susan; Hine, Paul; Snell, Luke B.; Wong, Waison; Houlihan, Catherine F.; et al. (24 May 2022). "Clinical features and management of human monkeypox: a retrospective observational study in the UK". The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 22 (8): S1473–3099(22)00228–6. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00228-6. PMC 9300470. PMID 35623380. S2CID 249057804.
  11. "2003 U.S. Outbreak Monkeypox". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  12. "Treatment Monkeypox Poxvirus CDC". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 28 December 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  13. Fine, P. E.; Jezek, Z.; Grab, B.; Dixon, H. (September 1988). "The transmission potential of monkeypox virus in human populations". International Journal of Epidemiology. 17 (3): 643–650. doi:10.1093/ije/17.3.643. ISSN 0300-5771. PMID 2850277.
  14. "Prevention". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 29 November 2019. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
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  16. "Monkeypox". GOV.UK. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
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  19. Pinkstone, Joe (17 May 2022). "Monkeypox 'spreading in sexual networks'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  20. Nsofor, Ifeanyi (2 June 2022). "OPINION: Media coverage of monkeypox paints it as an African virus. That makes me mad". NPR. Retrieved 2 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. "Taiwan confirms first imported case of monkeypox". Reuters. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  22. "Taiwan confirms first imported case of monkeypox". The Jerusalem Post. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
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  24. Chen, Chie-ling; Chang, Ming-hsuan; Liu, Kay (12 July 2022). "Taiwan reports second case of monkeypox". Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  25. Shen, Pei-yao; Huang, Frances (6 August 2022). "Taiwan reports third monkeypox case". Central News Agency.
  26. Yen, William (9 October 2022). "Taiwan reports new monkeypox case, asks people to report symptoms". Central News Agency. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  27. Chen, Chieh-ling; Lin, Sean (21 February 2023). "MPOX/Taiwan reports 5th monkeypox case". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  28. Shen, Pei-yao; Mazzetta, Matthew (1 March 2023). "MPOX/Taiwan records first two local monkeypox cases". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  29. Chen, Chieh-ling; Chao, Yen-hsiang (7 March 2023). "MPOX/Taiwan reports 3rd domestically transmitted mpox case". Central News Agency. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  30. Chang, Ming-hsuan; Lee, Hsin-Yin (21 May 2022). "Taiwan steps up monitoring of monkeypox amid recent outbreak overseas: CDC". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  31. Chen, Chieh-ling; Hsu, Phoenix; Mazzetta, Matthew (23 May 2022). "Taiwan not planning to buy vaccine that protects against monkeypox: Chen". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  32. Chiang, Yi-ching (23 June 2022). "Taiwan lists monkeypox as category 2 communicable disease". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
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  34. Chiang, Yi-ching (27 June 2022). "Taiwan in talks to buy vaccine, medication for monkeypox". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
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  36. "Taiwan in talks to get monkeypox vaccines in late 2022". Taiwan News. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
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  38. "Monkeypox medications arrive in Taiwan". Taiwan News. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  39. Chen, Chieh-ling; Lin, Sean; Lee, Hsin-Yin (31 August 2022). "Taiwan to take delivery of 500 monkeypox vaccine doses on Sept. 2: CDC". Central News Agency. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
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