The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) plans to use the International Traveler Information System(ITS) to prevent the spread of monkeypox.

An official from the agency said Monday that discussions are under way on when to apply the system and which countries will be subject to it.

Jointly developed by the KDCA and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, ITS alerts medical authorities when suspected patients of an infectious disease who visited a country considered high-risk for that disease visit hospitals or clinics during the disease’s incubation period.

The system was developed as a way for medical institutions to promptly isolate and treat such patients.

Currently, this program is in place for COVID-19.