Mpox outbreak: Here's how Asian nations have reacted to WHO emergency declaration

Countries in Asia are closely monitoring for mpox cases after the World Health Organization recently declared an escalating outbreak in Africa as a global public health emergency.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is classified into two distinct groups: clade 1 and clade 2. It is transmissible through direct contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated items.

Clade 2 was responsible for the 2022 outbreak, which has led to around 100,000 cases worldwide, NBC News reported, but now, a version of clade 1 has spread internationally, after starting in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2023.

In making the declaration, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "it's clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives."

On Thursday, Sweden reported the first known case of clade 1 outside Africa. Then on Monday, the Philippines reported its first case of mpox since December of last year, although it has not yet identified the strain.

Here's how the four largest economies in Asia have responded so far:

China's customs authorities announced they will strengthen surveillance at ports of entry.

People arriving from nations and areas with confirmed mpox cases and have been exposed to mpox with symptoms such as fever, headache, backpain or rashes must declare their condition to customs, the General Administration of Customs said.

Aircraft and vessels carrying containers, as well as cargo, arriving from nations and areas with mpox cases will also be sanitized, reported local news.

These measures went into effect Thursday, and will be enforced for the next six months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been continuously monitoring the mpox outbreak, the country's