China's Chief Health Expert Warns Against Touching Foreigners Over Monkeypox Fears

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China’s chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyou on Monday warned the public against touching foreigners to avoid infection with monkeypox after the country reported its first case last week.

Wu, the top epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Chinese social media that "foreigners and repatriates" were a potential source of infection.

In a separate message, the expert said that it was best to avoid "skin-to-skin contact with foreigners who have recently (within three weeks) arrived from areas that have reported monkeypox cases."

The risk of a monkeypox outbreak in mainland China remains extremely low, the official said. The viral disease, endemic to Africa, has been spreading globally after several European countries reported flare-ups in spring.