WION As per a statement by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 96 percent of the patients were male and reported sexual activity with another man.
As per the Chinese CDC, while in June the cases stood at 106, in July, the count reached a high of 491. However, as per a Bloomberg report, there were no severe cases or deaths from the virus, that until recently was known as Monkeypox.
In late July, the agency, as per the report, asked its local branches to improve access to tests and treatment, mobilize volunteers and social organizations to educate “priority groups” — vulnerable groups including men who have sex with men — about mpox.
The largest concentration of cases have been reported from Guangdong province and Beijing. However, last month, other areas have also reported quite a few cases. Shanghai and Western Sichuan province each reported 25 mpox cases.
The reason behind the rise in cases
China saw an acceleration in the spread of the mpox virus after the Chinese mainland reopened its borders after almost three years of stringent Zero-Covid regulations.
As per the report quoting Chinese CDC experts, another reason behind the high numbers could be that more people from the at-risk groups are seeking medical help as the government campaigns successfully raise awareness. Furthermore, there’s continued detection of new cases among people coming to China from abroad.