Spanish health authorities confirmed on Friday July 29 that they had registered the death of a man affected by monkey pox. This is the first death related to this disease recorded in Europe.
- Over 19,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in over 75 countries.
- Europe is the epicenter of detected cases.
- According to the Île-de-France regional health agency, 8,000 injections against smallpox were carried out in the region, or “70% of vaccinations carried out in France”.
Europe now has its first monkeypox victim.
On Friday July 29, the Spanish Ministry of Health’s Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies announced that the country had just recorded its first death linked to this disease. Neither the cause nor the date of death have been specified.
A death also recorded in Brazil
According to the health agency, Spain is currently one of the countries with the most cases of monkeypox. Since the outbreak began, 4,298 people have been infected. By way of comparison, in France, Public Health France identified 1,955 confirmed cases as of July 28, including 814 (53%) in Île-de-France, the most affected region.
On Friday July 29, Brazilian authorities also announced that a 41-year-old man with monkeypox had died the day before. “Hospital follow-up for other serious clinical conditions”, he suffered from significant immunity problems. In total, seven monkeypox-related deaths, including two outside Africa, have been recorded worldwide.
The highest level of alert triggered by the WHO
Faced with the scale of the epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) triggered its highest level of alert on Saturday July 23 to strengthen the fight against monkeypox.
The director general of the health authority notably called on people at risk to take measures to protect themselves against the disease. “It means making safe choices for yourself and for others, for men who have sex with men.did he declare. This includes, for now, reducing the number of sexual partners.”
“In addition, infected people should self-isolate and avoid gatherings involving close physical contact and it is advisable to obtain contact details of any new sexual partners in case further follow-up is needed”added Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
