A top Chinese epidemiologist is advising his compatriots “not to touch foreigners” because of the monkeypox virus, several international media reports, including the Archyde.com news agency and the 24-hour news channel CNN.
On Friday, China reported the first infection with the virus, which in recent months in Europe and the United States has mostly been found in men who have sex with men. The infected person in Chongqing, southwest China, was quarantined immediately following arriving in the city.
According to local authorities, the risk of an epidemic is low. The patient is stable and has also tested negative for Covid-19. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of China’s health department (CCDC), made his recommendation over the weekend in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo. He advises avoiding skin-to-skin contact with “strangers” or people who have returned from abroad in recent weeks.
