On September 15, the National Health Commission issued an announcement that in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases",Starting from September 20, 2023, monkeypox will be included in the management of Class B infectious diseases, and prevention and control measures for Class B infectious diseases will be adopted.The National Health Commission explained that this is mainly due to the fact that the monkeypox epidemic will continue to exist in my country for a certain period of time, and to further scientifically standardize the prevention and control of the monkeypox epidemic and effectively protect the life safety and health of the people.

According to regulations,Category B infectious diseases refer to infectious diseases that seriously harm human health and life safety and may cause large economic losses and social impacts. Strict management and implementation of various prevention and control measures are required to reduce the incidence and harm.

Patients, suspected patients and carriers of infectious disease pathogens required to be reported in Category B infectious diseases must be reported online within 24 hours after diagnosis.

According to the National Health Commission, monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by infection with monkeypox virus (MPXV). It has mainly occurred in Central and West Africa in the past.

Since May 2022, monkeypox epidemics have occurred in more than 100 countries and regions around the world.

Epidemics in many countries have shown that monkeypox has been transmitted from person to person and has spread widely to countries and regions outside Africa, with a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%.

In September 2022, my country reported its first imported case of monkeypox, and local monkeypox epidemics began to appear in June 2023. Currently, more than 20 provinces across the country have reported monkeypox cases, triggering new local secondary outbreaks and hidden transmission.

According to CDC statistics, in June, July, and August, 106, 491, and 501 new confirmed cases of monkeypox were reported in mainland China, respectively, totaling more than 1,000 cases.

According to statistics,98.9% of the cases were male, and 92.5% of the cases were clearly men who have sex with men.

The vast majority of cases have typical clinical manifestations, mainly symptoms such as fever, herpes, and swollen lymph nodes. There are no severe cases or deaths.

According to experts, the inclusion of monkeypox in Category B B tubes will, on the one hand, make the prevention and control measures for managing monkeypox more legally based. Staff in all prevention and control departments and medical departments will implement their work in accordance with the law, making it more authoritative and implementable.

On the other hand, monkeypox patients must also fulfill their obligation to cooperate with the investigation and should also receive legal protection of their personal privacy.

Clinical features of monkeypox:

Incubation period:

5-21 days, mostly 6-13 days.

Infectious period:

The patient is contagious after symptoms appear until the rash scabs naturally fall off and form new skin.

Investigations suggest that some cases may be contagious 1-4 days before symptoms appear.

Early symptoms:

Fever, headache, back pain, myalgia, and swollen lymph nodes may occur.

Rashes and mucosal rashes:

It usually appears after the fever subsides, but in some cases may appear before systemic symptoms.

The occurrence of rash often goes through several stages: macules, papules, blisters, pustules, scabs, and scabs falling off. Different forms of rashes can coexist at the same time, and can be accompanied by obvious itching and pain.

It can involve the oral and throat mucosa, anus, genitals, conjunctiva and cornea.

After the scabs fall off, erythema or pigmentation or even scars may be left, and the scars may last for several years.

Course and severity of disease:

The course of the disease is about 2-4 weeks, and the course of the disease may be longer in patients with low immunity.

Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease. In most cases, symptoms will disappear on their own. Severe disease and death can also occur, mainly in children, pregnant women and people with low immunity.