China confirms 4 more monkeypox cases

China has registered four more monkeypox cases in central and northern parts of the country, bringing the total number of cases to 10, local media reported on Saturday.

According to the state-run Global Times newspaper, three of the new cases were reported in Changsha, the capital of the central Hunan province, while one was confirmed in the northern Tianjin Municipality.

On Tuesday, authorities in Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern Liaoning province registered a monkeypox case, the sixth monkeypox case reported in the Chinese mainland since September 2022.

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus. Patients often start exhibiting symptoms with a fever, enlarged lymph nodes, back pain, and muscle aches before a rash appears on the skin, according to World Health Organization.

From January 2022 through May 8, 2023, more than 87,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox, including 140 deaths, were reported worldwide, the WHO said.