The governments of Brazil and Spain report the first deaths of people infected with the monkeypox virus outside of Africa.
Brazil currently has 1066 confirmed cases of the virus and 513 people suspected of having monkeypox. In Spain, 3750 cases have been confirmed and 120 infected persons have been hospitalized.
In Brazil, a 41-year-old man died from the virus, which the country’s government said was caused by lymphoma, a weakened immune system and other illnesses. In Spain, there have already been two deaths among those infected.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, more than 98% of those infected in the country are men who have sex with men.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. However, the risk of infection is considered low for the majority of the population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are currently 21,148 cases worldwide.
The monkeypox virus is similar to the virus that causes black smallpox, but it is not as contagious or deadly. The disease it causes is usually milder – about like chickenpox – and the symptoms go away on their own within a few weeks. However, during some outbreaks in West Africa, the death rate reached 10%.
Monkeypox is difficult to recognize in its early symptoms, which are fever, headache, and back pain that can be caused by many other things.
Last week, the WHO developed four sets of recommendations to combat the virus for four categories of countries, depending on the number of cases they have and how quickly the virus is spreading in them. Governments were advised to take coordinated action to protect vulnerable populations and stop the spread of the disease.
There is a vaccine against the disease, and it is recommended that it be offered to the most vulnerable populations – primarily men who are homosexual and bisexual, as well as health care professionals.
In Russia, the first case of infection was detected one week ago in a man returning from Portugal, and no new cases have been reported since.