Phnom Penh, Feb 12 (IANS): Cambodia recorded three more cases of mpox, also known as monkeypox, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to nine since last December, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

"Laboratory results from the National Institute of Public Health showed on Friday that three more persons tested positive for mpox, so the total confirmed cases of the disease in Cambodia have increased to nine," the Ministry added on Sunday.

The patients, who live in three different districts in the capital Phnom Penh, have been undergoing proper treatment at a hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ministry renewed calls on people to be extra vigilant, saying that mpox virus is transmitted from person to person through all forms of sexual contact with a person with mpox and through direct contact with wounds, body fluids, saliva, and equipment contaminated with the virus.

It added that mpox could be passed from mother to child through an umbilical cord during or after birth if a pregnant woman has the disease.

"Individuals with symptoms such as rash with blisters on the face, palms, feet, body, eyes, mouth or genitals, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle aches, low back pain, and fatigue...should visit a health centre or hospital for a consultation or test for mpox," the Ministry said.

Citing a report from the World Health Organisation, the Ministry said that as of January 25, a total of 93,030 confirmed cases of mpox, including 176 deaths, had been reported from 117 countries and regions.