Overseas arrival in Chongqing tests positive for monkeypox

Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday reported the first case of monkeypox on the mainland, CCTV News reported, citing the city's health commission.

The infected person entered Chongqing as a transfer from overseas, and developed rash symptoms during central quarantine for COVID-19.

The patient was confirmed to be positive for monkeypox by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, the patient has tested negative for COVID-19.

The patient is under quarantined treatment in a designated hospital and in a stable condition. The close contacts have been put under quarantine.

According to medical experts, the risk of virus transmission is low for the case as the patient was immediately put in central quarantine upon arrival and there are no traces of social activities.

Last week, China's Hong Kong SAR recorded its first case of monkeypox in a 30-year-old man who had travelled to the city and showed symptoms during hotel quarantine.

The World Health Organization in July declared the monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency. More than 50,000 cases have been recorded in 125 countries in the global outbreak, 98 percent of them in Europe and in North America, according to the WHO.

The disease causes painful and scarring lesions, principally to the face, anus and genitals. It usually heals within two to three weeks, but in rare cases can lead to severe complications.