Taiwan records 4 new local mpox cases: CDC

Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday that four domestic cases of mpox were reported last week, but the strain of the disease differs from the one that led the CDC to raise its travel alert for seven African countries on Aug. 15 due to an ongoing outbreak.

The four new mpox cases were reported between Aug. 13 and Monday and involved individuals in their 20s to 40s, Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳), deputy director of CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Center, said at a news conference.

Lee said one of the patients resides in northern Taiwan and the other three live in the south of the country.

She added that the four individuals began displaying symptoms between Aug. 8 and Aug.11 and that none had been vaccinated against mpox.

CDC Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said all four cases involved a mpox virus strain called clade IIb, different from clade Ib -- the strain reported in Africa and Sweden that "everyone is most concerned about."

The World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern on Aug. 14.

Lo announced the next day that the CDC immediately raised its Travel Health Notices for seven African countries due to "the high transmission rate and mortality rate" of clade Ib in those countries.

Under the CDC's three-tier Travel Health Notice system, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been raised from "Level 1: Watch" to "Level 2: Alert," while the Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, were issued "Level 1: Watch."

Lo said that the outbreak caused by clade Ib is mainly impacting young adults and children in those countries.

Last week, 807 people in Taiwan were vaccinated against mpox, a 35 percent increase from the previous week, Lo noted.

In response to the global outbreak, Lo said a meeting would be convened on Thursday between experts to discuss mpox prevention strategies and adjust target vaccination groups.

Meanwhile, the CDC reported 17 local cases of melioidosis last week, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to 54, the highest level since 2006.

The 17 new cases involved individuals in their 50s to 80s. Of those, 12 were reported in Kaohsiung, two in Tainan, two in Pingtung County, and one in Taichung, Lee said.

She said six had a history of exposure to environments involving sewage or soil, or places with similar contaminants.

As of Tuesday, a total of 47 cases had been recorded in Taiwan since Typhoon Gaemi hit the country in late July.

Seven of those patients have died, including four who passed away last week. All of those who died had chronic illnesses, Lee said.

Lo said that melioidosis cases often increase after typhoons hit Taiwan, and that some patients may delay seeking medical attention due to mild symptoms. The disease has an incubation period of two to four weeks.

Residents and workers in healthcare facilities in flooded areas should stay particularly alert as new cases could emerge, Lo added.

Melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, can infect individuals through wounds that come into contact with contaminated soil or water, or by inhaling contaminated dust, soil, or water droplets, according to the CDC.