Beijing, China

China has been contributing heavily to the global increase of cases of mpox, as it accounts for the majority of new cases reported in September, as per the World Health Organization.

The number of cases reported weekly on a global level increased by 328 per cent in the week to September 10, as per the data.

Most of the increase came from China, where in the month 500 new cases were reported. The WHO stated that China was experiencing “sustained community transmission” of the virus, which was detected for the first time as an imported case in September last year.

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Previously, Mpox was known as Monkeypox but the WHO renamed it in 2022 so as to tackle the stigma and discrimination around it.

China reported first case in July

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The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in July reported that the disease was spreading domestically for the first time, with 106 cases recorded in June.

Since then, there has been a surge of 400 per cent in the cases with the real number of infections believed to be much higher compared to the official count.

In August, five women tested positive for the disease which led to concerns that the virus, which has predominantly been detected in men who have sex with men, has been spreading more widely.

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Mpox under same protocols as COVID-19

The government of China on Wednesday started treating mpox under the same protocols as COVID-19, which meant that emergency measures like restricting gatherings to curb the spread of the disease can be taken by the authorities.

Since 2022, the majority of mpox cases were found in men who indulged in sexual intercourse with men and 92.5 per cent of cases in August were among that demographic.

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However, in recent years, the pressure increased on LGBTQ+ activists in China, which limited their ability to advocate and increase the LGBTQ+ people's social stigmatisation.

As per experts, this can make people less likely to get tested. Vaccinations have remained unavailable in mainland China, although it was reported by state media that a domestic vaccine is being developed.

“Public health concerns are one of the only ways of discussing gay men in public discourse,” stated Chuncheng Liu, a medical sociologist. “[But] you cannot rely on scaring people to come to you for help,” he added.

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