Don’t touch foreigners, warns Chinese official after 1st monkeypox case, sparks debate
India Today
A Chinese health official warned people and asked them not to touch foreigners after mainland China reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox infection.
The chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Wu Zunyou, warned people on Saturday not to touch foreigners after mainland China confirmed its first case of monkeypox infection. His post on China’s microblogging website Weibo has stirred a controversy, with many comparing it to the discrimination that Asians overseas faced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to CNN, Zunyou in the post noted down five recommendations the public can follow to prevent contracting the virus. His first recommendation was, “Do not have skin-to-skin contact with foreigners.” He said it is necessary and important to strengthen the monitoring and prevention of monkeypox. He also emphasised the risk of spreading the virus through international travel and close contact.
"This is a bit like when the pandemic began, when some people overseas avoided any Chinese people they saw out of fear," a Weibo user wrote.
ALSO READ | China reports its first monkeypox case in person who arrived from abroad
Mainland China’s first confirmed case of monkeypox was reported in Chongqing city in an individual who arrived from abroad. Authorities have not yet revealed whether the person is a foreign individual or a Chinese national.
The municipal health commission said that the person was put in quarantine upon arrival in Chongqing and all close contacts have been isolated and are under medical observation.
Monkeypox cases began emerging around the world in May. Now with cases reported in around 90 countries, the World Health Organisation has declared monkeypox as a public health emergency. There have been more than 60,000 confirmed cases and some non-endemic countries have reported their first related deaths.
