Taiwan's Mpox cases climb to 266

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Taiwan on Tuesday confirmed seven new cases of Mpox, raising the overall count to 266.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said all the recent cases involved male Taiwanese citizens aged 20 to those in their 40s.

The patients began experiencing symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash with blisters between July 24 and Aug. 1.

The CDC encouraged high-risk groups to get vaccinated. In July, it expanded the immunization campaign to include those with multiple recent sexual partners (including sex workers), people with sexually transmitted diseases, and their sexual partners.

Two shots are advised for better protection, at an interval of at least 28 days.

As of Monday, 25,803 people had received both doses of the vaccine, while 19,510 had received a single dose.

Last year, the World Health Organization renamed Monkeypox to Mpox, saying the name of the disease had acted as "racist and stigmatizing language."

In June, it declared Mpox was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.