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Case Reports
. 2022 Jul 11;37(27):e224.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e224.

The First Case of Monkeypox in the Republic of Korea

Young Rock Jang  1   2   3 , Minji Lee  4 , Hwachul Shin  4 , Jin-Won Kim  4 , Myung-Min Choi  4 , Young Mi Kim  5 , Min Ji Lee  5 , Jinsil Kim  2 , Hye Kyoung Na  3 , Jin Yong Kim  1   2   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

The First Case of Monkeypox in the Republic of Korea

Young Rock Jang et al. J Korean Med Sci. .

Abstract

A rapid outbreak of monkeypox is ongoing in non-endemic countries since May 2022. We report the first case of monkeypox in the Republic of Korea. This occurred in a 34-year-old male patient who traveled to Europe in June 2022. On the day of his return to the Republic of Korea (June 21, 2022), the patient presented with a genital lesion. The results of the monkeypox real-time polymerase chain reaction tests were positive in the penile ulcer, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal specimens. The patient subsequently developed fever and skin rash after hospital admission. Careful history taking along physical examination should be conducted in the patients who have epidemiologic risk factors for monkeypox. Moreover, appropriate specimens should be obtained from lesions and tested for the monkeypox virus.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Monkeypox; Republic of Korea.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Photographs of the penile ulcer and the skin lesions. Non-tender ulcer on the dorsum of the penile shaft, measuring 7 mm in diameter with central umbilication. Erythematous, maculopapular lesions appreaed on the upper back and proceeded down the body. Red-colored line indicates the period of fever (≥ 37.5°C). The figures are published under agreement of the patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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