The Japanese government has issued a level-one alert against mpox, the viral disease previously known as monkeypox. Officials are urging people traveling to, or staying in, seven African countries to exercise caution.
The move comes after the World Health Organization announced that the recent surge in mpox cases, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry issued the alert on Thursday. The advisory covers the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
The level-one alert is the lowest on Japan’s four-tier scale. The government is calling on people to take precautions against infection when they travel to, or stay in, those countries.