Japan confirms 1st death from mpox in country

Japan's health ministry said Wednesday that a man in his 30s who was living in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo has died of mpox, the first such death in the country, Kyodo reports. 

The man suffered from immunodeficiency, the ministry said, months after the World Health Organization declared in May that mpox is no longer a public health emergency of international concern due to a decline in new infection cases.

Japan's first case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox but renamed due to concerns about racism and stigmatization, was confirmed in July last year.

The disease causes high fever, headache and rashes, with serious symptoms lasting about two to four weeks.