A top Chinese health official has warned citizens against having skin contact with foreigners and recent returnees from abroad after mainland China confirmed its first case of monkeypox infection.
According to CNN, Zunyou in the post noted down five recommendations the public can follow to prevent contracting the virus. His first recommendation was, "Do not have skin-to-skin contact with foreigners." He said it is necessary and important to strengthen the monitoring and prevention of monkeypox. He also emphasized the risk of spreading the virus through international travel and close contact.
His "racist and discriminatory" remarks have triggered a social media backlash with many comparing it to the discrimination that Asians overseas faced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"This is a bit like when the pandemic began when some people overseas avoided any Chinese people they saw out of fear," a Weibo user wrote.
Mainland China's first confirmed case of monkeypox was reported in Chongqing city by an individual who arrived from abroad. Authorities have not yet revealed whether the person is a foreign individual or a Chinese national.
The municipal health commission said that the person was put in quarantine upon arrival in Chongqing and all close contacts have been isolated and are under medical observation.
Monkeypox cases began emerging around the world in May. Now with cases reported in around 90 countries, the World Health Organisation has declared monkeypox a public health emergency. There have been more than 60,000 confirmed cases and some non-endemic countries have reported their first related deaths.
The monkeypox virus transmits when a person comes in contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. According to the US Based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).