Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has identified its second case of mpox within a three-month period, according to local media reports on Wednesday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Malaysian Health Ministry has confirmed that the second case involves a 34-year-old Malaysian citizen who has a history of international travel in the past 21 days. The patient has been isolated and is reported to be in stable condition. This follows the country’s first mpox case, which was registered in September.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency in August, marking the second such declaration in two years. The decision followed the emergence of a new variant of the viral infection that spread from Congo to nearby countries. The disease, which was formerly known as monkeypox, was renamed by the WHO in 2022 to address concerns about the previous name being racist and stigmatizing.

Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through close physical contact with an infec
ted person or small wild animal, or through contact with contaminated materials. The Health Ministry continues to monitor the situation closely to prevent further spread of the disease.