General News

3rd Monkeypox Case Confirmed in Japan

Courtesy of National Institute of Infectious Diseases
An electron microscopic image of the monkeypox virus

Jiji Press

13:53 JST, August 6, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A man in his 20s who belongs to the U.S. military’s Yokota base in Tokyo has tested positive for monkeypox, making him the third case of the virus in Japan, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Friday.

The man had contact with a person who had entered Japan for a short-term stay, the ministry said. The man has not traveled overseas recently. This appears to be the first monkeypox case in Japan that has been locally transmitted.

The ministry said that the man was admitted to a Yokota base hospital Thursday with symptoms such as headache, fatigue and rashes. His nationality is unknown.

Japan confirmed its first monkeypox case in July.