Countries like Brazil and Spain have reported their first monkeypox deaths. A 41-year-old man in Brazil has become the first individual to die from the virus outside Africa. Spain also announced the country’s first death soon after.
Last week, the World Health Organization -WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency. But infections are usually mild and the risks to the general population are considered to be low.
Monkeypox cases in Brazil
Brazil has reported 1,066 confirmed cases and 513 suspected cases of the virus. Information from the health ministry in Brazil showed that more than 98% of the confirmed cases were from gay men.
Monkeypox cases in Spain
The Spaniard health ministry confirmed its first death from the virus shortly after Brazil announced its casualty. In a report of 3,750 monkeypox patients with available information, 120 or 3.2% had been hospitalized and one death was confirmed.
Monkeypox global cases
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 21,148 cases have been reported worldwide. The monkeypox virus belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts report that chances of infection are decreased. It occurs mostly in remote parts of Central and West African countries near tropical rainforests.
Health officials recommend that people with the greatest risk of exposure get the vaccine. The people being referred to are gay and bisexual men, as well as a few healthcare workers.
Last week, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of the Monkeypox virus a global health emergency, to help hasten up the development of vaccines and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus. Dr. Tedros added that the risk of monkeypox was moderate globally, but higher in Europe.
