South Korea confirmed six more case of mpox Thursday, bringing the country's total to 40, health authorities said.
Three patients are from Seoul, and the other three from Incheon, Daegu and Gangwon Province, respectively, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
One of them visited Japan in recent weeks, while five others have not traveled abroad, it added.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is traditionally confined to regions in Central and West Africa, and can cause fever, chills, rashes and lesions, among other symptoms.
South Korea reported the first case of mpox on June 22 last year and four more cases through March. The first five cases were linked to overseas travel.
But most of the recent infections that began April 7 were believed to be locally transmitted, with no overseas travel history.
Source: Yonhap News Agency