China says its 1st monkeypox case linked to Germany

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Monday said the first case of monkeypox found in the country is linked to Germany.

“Gene sequencing suggests that the virus strain in the monkeypox case from overseas ... was highly homologous to strains from Germany collected on June 21,” the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

China reported its first case of monkeypox on Friday. It was found in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

The virus was detected in a 29-year-old salesman who visited Germany from Sept. 2 to 8, Chinese public broadcaster CGTN reported.

After entering China, the patient was observing the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine period due to international travel.

Chinese authorities have also put close contacts of the patient under medical observation.

The patient developed monkeypox symptoms, including a rash, during quarantine.

The disease is known to be endemic to parts of Africa, but a growing outbreak in several European and North American countries has raised concerns that the virus may be spreading around the globe.