Fever, headache, rash: A monkeypox infection is mild - at least usually. In Spain, a person has now died of the virus, according to the Ministry of Health. It is the first known death in Europe.
A man has died of monkeypox in Spain. It is the first known death from the disease in Europe. The Ministry of Health in Madrid confirmed the death without giving details. The latest report on monkeypox also said there were 4,208 confirmed cases in Spain. Among them are 3750 patients for whom more information is available. 120 of them would be treated in clinics.
Brazil had previously reported a death from monkeypox. It was the first case outside of Africa.
Monkeypox is a viral infection that is usually mild. Symptoms include fever, headache, and skin rashes, which usually start on the face and spread to the rest of the body. The disease has been spreading worldwide since early May. In the current year, more than 16,000 cases from more than 75 countries have been reported.
In the past, the disease was mainly found in West and Central Africa and very rarely elsewhere. Recently, however, monkeypox has also been increasingly reported from Europe. In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recorded 2,410 cases of monkeypox in the middle of the week. According to the RKI, according to current knowledge, in the vast majority of cases men who have had sexual contact with other men are ill. Women were affected in only five cases, and no cases were reported in children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said that the rapid spread of the disease could be stopped. This is possible with the right strategies in the right groups. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a global health emergency on Saturday, the WHO's highest alert level. So far, the United Nations (UN) organization had only classified the corona pandemic and polio as international health emergencies.
