On Wednesday, the health authorities designated monkeypox as a second-degree legal infectious disease out of a four-tier system, as the disease is spreading fast around the globe.

Currently, 22 diseases, including Covid-19, tuberculosis, and chickenpox, are grouped as the second-level contagious diseases, and outbreaks of the diseases are reported within 24 hours, followed by mandatory quarantine.

Korea has been vigilant against a potential inflow of the monkeypox virus. However, an increasing number of countries have recently reported cases of the virus traditionally confined to regions in Africa.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said that the agency doesn't rule out the possibility of an influx of the monkeypox virus amid an increase in international travel on the back of eased Covid-19 rules and the incubation period of the virus.

Korea lowered the level of Covid-19 to the second-highest grade last month from the highest one as the pandemic showed signs of receding.

According to health authorities, 780 confirmed cases of monkeypox infections had been reported in 27 countries, including Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Australia.

The virus has traditionally been confined to Central and West African countries, and symptoms include fever, chills, rashes, and lesions.

Korea has yet to report an occurrence of the virus. However, the KDCA said Korea established a testing scheme for monkeypox in 2016.

The KDCA said earlier that Korea has a vaccine stockpile sufficient to inoculate 35 million people against the monkeypox virus.

However, the officials said the government is not considering vaccinating the general public and plans to vaccinate only high-risk groups exposed to infection.