Cambodia records two more cases of monkeypox; govt tells people to be cautious fearing outbreak

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia reported two more cases of monkeypox, prompting a call for caution to avoid an outbreak, the Ministry of Health said in a statement late on Wednesday.

"Laboratory results from the National Institute of Public Health showed on Wednesday that two more persons were positive for monkeypox," the ministry said. "The duo has been currently placed under quarantine for treatment at a hospital."

Monkeypox virus can be transmitted from person to person through all forms of sexual contact with a person with monkeypox and through direct contact with wounds, body fluids, saliva, and equipment contaminated with the virus, the ministry said.

It added that monkeypox virus can be passed from mother to child through an umbilical cord during or after birth if a pregnant woman has monkeypox.

"People with symptoms such as rash with blisters on the face, palms, feet, body, eyes, mouth or genitals, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle aches, low back pain, and fatigue ... should visit a health center or hospital for a consultation or test for monkeypox," it said.

The Southeast Asian country confirmed the first case of monkeypox in a Nigerian man in July 2022, and the second case in a 28-year-old local man in the capital Phnom Penh in December last year. Enditem