China Mpox cases surge as virus spreads to more parts of country

China’s confirmed cases of Mpox rose nearly five-fold in July to a new high as government efforts to contain the infectious disease’s spread ramp up.

Last month’s case count was 491, versus 106 in June, according to a statement from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every patient was male and 96% of them had sexual activity with another man, the CDC said.

There were no severe cases or deaths from mpox, the virus known as monkeypox until recently.

Though no longer a global health emergency after the World Health Organization lowered the global alert level for mpox in May, the WHO cautioned that more needed to be done to eradicate the sometimes-deadly virus.

The CDC in late July asked its local branches to mobilize volunteers and social organizations to reach out to “priority groups,” including men who have sex with men, to educate them about mpox and improve access to tests and treatment.

Guangdong province and Beijing in July remained the two locales with the largest concentration of cases, but areas including Shanghai and western Sichuan province each confirmed at least 25 mpox patients during the month.