Spain and Brazil respectively reported the first death from monkeypox, becoming the first two deaths from the virus outside of Africa, where it is endemic. Both patients had a weakened immune system. On July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency, while cases continue to rise around the world.
The Ministries of Health of Spain and Brazil confirmed, respectively, this Friday the first death from smallpox in their territories. Before these two events, there had been 70 deaths on the African continent since the first cases were reported in 2018.
The first fatal victim in Brazil corresponds to a man with “low immunity” in the state of Minas Gerais, according to local authorities. In Spain, the person who died was being treated for lymphoma, although there is no further information.
At the end of April this year, the United Kingdom reported the first case on its territory. Currently, there are around 19,000 reports worldwide in more than 78 countries. It is estimated that more than 70% of cases occur in Europe, with Spain being the most affected country, exceeding 4,300 positives, according to WHO reports.
In Brazil, the confirmation of the first death occurred a day after the Ministry of Health announced the creation of an emergency committee to control the progress of the disease. So far, more than 1,000 confirmed cases have been reported, being the second most affected country in America behind the United States, which is close to 3,000 cases.
The so-called Emergency Operation Center was installed this Friday and has the mission of developing a “contingency plan” against monkeypox in the country. Controlling the disease “is a priority that constantly monitors the epidemiological situation in order to guide surveillance and response actions to the disease,” they reported in a statement.
The health authorities of the South American country reported that they began negotiations with the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to acquire vaccines against the disease. In the state of Sao Paulo, the most affected and with 42 million inhabitants, they began to treat the virus as an “epidemic outbreak”.
A public health emergency of international concern
On July 23, the WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak a public emergency of international concern. The decision was communicated after the Organization convened a second emergency committee to deal with the issue.
“I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said after ending the emergency committee.
Tedros also told the press that the committee did not reach any consensus, however, he made the decision in his personal capacity after analyzing the situation and finding that the five necessary elements stipulated by the International Health Regulations are met to declare an emergency of public health of international interest.
Within the elements are; the risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic.
According to the emergency committee, at the moment “the event does not constitute an emergency of international concern” but it recognizes that there is an “evolving threat to health”, of which they claimed to be constantly monitoring.
The virus is on the rise within the LGBTI community
Health authorities worldwide have reported that the outbreak is spreading mainly among homosexual and bisexual men and that the majority of affected people reported some level of sexual activity.
In a communication, Tedros recommended that men who have sex with men “reduce the number of sexual partners, reconsider sex with new partners and exchange contact details with any new partners to allow follow-up, if necessary.”
After making the recommendation, the director of the WHO asked all countries to protect the human rights of people who are infected, avoid stigma and discrimination in order to control the virus and have better results in managing it.
With the tools we have right now, we can stop #monkeypox transmission and bring this outbreak under control. It’s essential that all countries work closely with affected communities to adopt measures that protect their health, human rights and dignity.pic.twitter.com/DqyvRtB8w2
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 23, 2022
Anyone can be infected
The authorities have stressed that monkeypox is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease, STD, but warned that it is more likely to contract it in a sexual encounter due to prolonged skin-to-skin contact, one of the main ways of spreading.
On July 22, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified the first two cases of monkeypox in minors, none of which were related. One belonged to a child in California and the other to a non-resident baby in that country.
With these two cases, the scientists confirmed that anyone can contract the virus and recommended avoiding sharing items such as towels, bedding, cups and utensils, through which the spread can be accelerated.
The symptoms of the current outbreak are different from the previous ones
According to a study carried out by The British Medical Journal, the outbreak of monkeypox that has occurred outside the African endemic region shows important differences in symptoms compared to previous cases.
The main symptoms of the virus are skin rashes, fever and swollen lymph nodes, however, this study reported new symptoms, such as rectal pain and swelling of the penis (edema) and tonsils.
The conclusions were based on the investigation of 197 positive cases of monkeypox at a London infectious disease center between May and July this year.
The study participants were men with an average age of 38 years, of whom only one said they did not have sex with other men. All presented skin lesions, mainly on the genitals.
Is there any way to treat and prevent the virus?
Currently, internationally, there are no specific treatments or vaccines for monkeypox. Despite this, the virus is genetically similar to smallpox, therefore several countries are using antiviral drugs and vaccines to deal with the endemic outbreak in African countries.
In the United States there are two approved vaccines to treat the disease, they are Jynneos and Acam2000, however, supplies of the former have been limited in the country.
The US government recently reported that it will enable more than half a million doses of vaccines to prevent monkeypox in the country, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carried out an inspection process and approved the Jynneos vaccine.
In addition, he announced that they will facilitate the transport of the doses to start their distribution as soon as possible. Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health of that country, assured that the approval and facilitation of these vaccines is a “crucial step” to strengthen the response against monkeypox. “Monkeypox is not Covid, although it is contagious, painful, and can be dangerous,” he explained.
The health authorities of the United States foresee the increase in cases during the coming weeks and asked their inhabitants to report the symptoms immediately.
With EFE and local media
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