The first death from a monkeypox infection has been registered in Spain. According to the state television station RTVE and other Spanish media, this is also the first death in Europe. The infected person died of the disease in the Valencia region in the east of the country, the Ministry of Health in Madrid said on Friday evening. In a situation report on the current monkeypox outbreak at the beginning of the week, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded a total of five deaths – all in the African region.
Further information about the person who died in Spain was not initially disclosed. Spain is one of the countries most affected by the disease in the world. Of the 4,298 cases of infection recorded across the country so far, only 120 have required hospitalization, it said.
Brazil also reported its first possible death related to monkeypox on Friday. However, it was a patient with other relevant comorbidities, the Ministry of Health in Brasília said at a press conference. The case is still under review.
In view of the rapid spread of monkeypox, the WHO declared the highest alert level last weekend. The outbreak is an “emergency of international concern,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday in Geneva. The international spread of the disease is extremely unusual. So far, it has essentially been limited to six African countries.
The WHO classification is intended to encourage the governments of member countries to take measures to contain the outbreak. They are intended to sensitize doctors and clinics, take protective measures in suspected cases and educate the population on how to protect themselves from infection.
According to Tedros’ words over the weekend, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox had already been confirmed in 75 countries. Europe is particularly affected. In contrast to the rest of the world, the WHO assesses the risk of infection as high, according to the WHO boss. The outbreak is currently focused on men who have sex with men – especially if they have many partners, it said. However, Tedros warned the WHO against stigmatizing these groups.
The EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides meanwhile sent a fire letter to the responsible ministers of the EU states. The European Union is the epicenter of discovered cases, the letter said on Wednesday. “It is no time for complacency and we must continue to work together to control the outbreak.”
Against the background of the emergency declared by the WHO, it is important, among other things, that the EU states have solid systems for monitoring the situation and reporting new cases, wrote Kyriakides. That was lacking at the beginning of the corona pandemic. Effective contact tracing and, if necessary, isolation could also help control the outbreak. But the most important thing is probably public communication about risks. This should be strengthened, “particularly to raise awareness – without causing panic or stigmatization”.
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