Brussels maintains Spain and Portugal as the epicenter of monkeypox in the EU


Of the 321 cases of monkeypox reported in the European Union as of May 31, 216 correspond to Spain and Portugal which have become the epicenter of this disease on the European continent with 120 and 96 cases respectively, although according to the Ministry of Health there are already 132 positive cases in the Spanish State. According to the latest balance European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC), to the confirmed cases in seventeen Member States, another 236 are added in seven countries outside the EU and the European Economic Area – the bulk in the United Kingdom – which brings the number of cases identified in the United Kingdom to a total of 557. countries where this virus is not endemic.

So far there has been no no death caused by the virus, and clinical reports describe cases generally as mild. Most of them correspond to young men, mostly with lesions on the genitals or in the peri-genital area, indicating that transmission probably occurred through close physical contact during sexual activities. Several countries have reported cases that appear to be related to events in Spain (Madrid and the Canary Islands) as well as in Belgium (Antwerp). However, many others have also reported cases with no known epidemiological relationship to foreign travel, contact with other cases, animals, or attendance at specific events.

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In addition to Spain and Portugal, which appear in red on the ECDC map, the agency has confirmed the presence of the disease, which has registered a strong increase in the last week with 202 new cases, in the Netherlands (26), Germany (21), France ( 17), Italy (14), Belgium (10), the Czech Republic (5), Sweden (3), Ireland (2), Slovenia (2), Denmark (2), Malta (1), Finland (1) and Austrian (1). Worldwide, meanwhile, it also continues to spread and there are already 136 new confirmed cases since the last balance published on May 25 by the ECDC. The United Kingdom (179) leads the ranking, ahead of Canada (26), the United States (15), Switzerland (4) and the United Arab Emirates (4) among others.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease and the most prevalent orthopoxviral infection in humans today, after the eradication of smallpox and the cessation of universal vaccination against this disease. In endemic areas, the virus probably circulates among various mammals, although according to available information, there is no known reservoir. Occasionally, however, transmission to humans causes outbreaks and is transmitted to humans by bite or direct contact with blood, meat, body fluids, or skin or mucosal lesions of an infected animal.


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