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- Epidemiologic investigation Epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of suspected and confirmed mpox cases during the 2022-2023 epidemic in the Capital Region, Republic of Korea
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Mingyeol Shim1
, Soo Hyeon Cho2,3
, Seung-eun Lee2
, Taeyoung Kim1
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Epidemiol Health 2024;e2024092
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024092 [Accepted]
Published online: November 24, 2024
2Division of Infectious Disease Response, Capital Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
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Corresponding author:
Taeyoung Kim,
Email: taeyoung.epi@gmail.com
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study investigated the general characteristics of laboratory-confirmed mpox patients in the Capital Region of South Korea, as well as the risk factors for mpox infection, particularly focusing on the characteristics of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive and PCR-negative cases.
METHODS
We investigated 160 adults, excluding 4 minors, from 164 suspected mpox patients reported in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Gangwon from June 21, 2022 to October 31, 2023. Data were collected via telephone and face-to-face interviews. A statistical analysis of the general characteristics of the infection was conducted using frequency analysis and logistic regression.
RESULTS
Of the 160 suspected cases of mpox, 59.3% (n=95) tested positive via mpox-PCR. Among the confirmed cases, 97.9% (n=93) were male. PCR-positive patients typically presented with genital and anal skin rashes or mucosal lesions, accompanied by pain. Additionally, 35.5% (n=33) of the male patients had HIV infections. Most confirmed cases (94.7%, 90/95) were believed to have contracted mpox through sexual contact during the maximal incubation period of 21 days prior to symptom onset, with a significant number reporting same-sex or casual contact. The most commonly collected and highest-yielding specimens from PCR-positive patients were from skin or mucosal lesions, whereas blood samples demonstrated the lowest percent positivity.
CONCLUSIONS
In the Capital Region, most PCR-positive cases were male patients in their 30s who had sexual contacts and exhibited symptoms, aligning with findings from previous studies. These results provide a foundation for the differential diagnosis concerning mpox infection and the selection of PCR-test samples in clinical settings.
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