Singapore and South Korea report first monkeypox cases as global infections surpass 2,100

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) confirmed the country’s first case of monkeypox on June 21, 2022, as the viral disease continues to spread across the world. The agency pledged to strengthen its monitoring and response systems, raising the alert level to “caution” for the infectious disease. The Korean national, who returned from Germany on June 21, has been undergoing treatment at Incheon Medical Centre. A day earlier, a 42-year-old British flight attendant in Singapore also tested positive, making him the city state’s first case of monkeypox in three years. Singapore’s Ministry of Health said the patient is in stable condition in a ward at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and all of his close contacts have been put in quarantine.