Emerging Infectious Diseases (Sep 2023)

Prevalence of Asymptomatic Mpox among Men Who Have Sex with Men, Japan, January–March 2023

  • Daisuke Mizushima,
  • Yui Shintani,
  • Misao Takano,
  • Daisuke Shiojiri,
  • Naokatsu Ando,
  • Takahiro Aoki,
  • Koji Watanabe,
  • Takato Nakamoto,
  • Hiroyuki Gatanaga,
  • Shinichi Oka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2909.230541
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 9
pp. 1872 – 1876

Abstract

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We prospectively assessed asymptomatic monkeypox virus infections among men who have sex with men in Tokyo, Japan, during the initial phase of the mpox epidemic. Our findings suggest that asymptomatic infections were likely underestimated and were comparable in magnitude to symptomatic infections, highlighting the need to improve testing accessibility among high-risk populations.

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