Health

Japan detects its first case of monkeypox

Tokyo, July 25 (EFE).- Japan has detected its first monkeypox case, the health ministry said on Monday, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus outbreak a global health emergency.

The health authorities did not reveal many details about the person infected with the virus, saying the patient is a 30-year-old Tokyo resident.

Japan has maintained tight border restrictions since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

The border closure has prevented foreign visitors from entering the Japanese territory, except for small groups organized by national tourist agencies and under strictly restricted movement.

The WHO declared its highest level of alert Saturday for the monkeypox outbreak, which has infected over 16,000 people, including five deaths, in some 75 countries.

Most of these infections have been recorded in Europe and the United States.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare said it had prepared a protocol to test possible cases of monkeypox.

The government said it would accelerate the approval of the use of drugs and vaccines against the virus transmitted to humans from animals with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients. EFE

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