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Date Published: 11/08/2022

ARCHIVED - Rate of transmission slows as Spain exceeds 5,000 confirmed monkeypox cases

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Madrid has the highest number of infections of all 17 autonomous regions in Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Rate of transmission slows as Spain exceeds 5,000 confirmed monkeypox cases

The number of confirmed monkeypox cases in Spain has reached 5,162, although the rate of transmission has slowed in the first 10 days of August after spiralling at a rate of 15% every three days in July.

Last month, Spain became the first country in Europe to experience a monkeypox fatality - one on July 19 and another on the 20th.

In contrast, between Friday August 5 and Tuesday August 9, 220 infections were confirmed which equated to 73 new positives per day, and a 4.5% increase in cases. No deaths were reported.

The slowdown in infections in Spain is in line with the downward trend in the UK and other European countries such as Germany. However, elsewhere in the world contagion is growing at an average of 15% every three days.

According to Spain's Ministry of Health, there were 25,476 worldwide positives reported on Tuesday, 3,321 more than last Friday.

The United States, with 8,934 cases, is the country with the most infections and where the virus is spiralling at a devilish rate; positives have increased by 25% in three days.

Closer to home, data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE), shows that Madrid continues to have the highest number of monkeypox confirmations (1,817) of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain.

Madrid is followed by: Catalonia 1,636, Andalusia 632, Valencia 311, Basque Country 153, Canary Islands 126, Balearic Islands 134, Aragon 50, Galicia 78, Asturias 49, Castilla y León 48, Castilla-La Mancha 40, Murcia 31, Extremadura 21, Cantabria 19, Navarra 13, and La Rioja, 4.

Also read: Workers in Spain earn 20 per cent less than the EU average

In addition to data regarding the number of cases nationally, the Ministry of Health also published a first update on the report 'Monkeypox/MPX autochthonous cases in Spain. Rapid risk assessment' on Tuesday.

Carried out by the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies, the report states that, "after more than two months of virus circulation in non-endemic countries, cases in Spain, as in other non-endemic countries, continue to be identified mainly in the context of sexual relations or in other situations of continuous and prolonged physical contact of a non-sexual nature".

Some sporadic cases have been identified in women, minors and the elderly, mainly close contacts of confirmed cases. However, the report also assures that "the probability of transmission is considered low for the general population at the present time".

It also points out that the "sustained transmission currently observed" must be controlled to prevent it from spreading to other population groups and affecting other more vulnerable groups with a higher risk of serious cases.

So far, most of the cases detected in Spain have been "mild", with a low proportion of hospital admissions and fatality.

"The severity may be higher amongst young children, pregnant women and their newborns and immunocompromised people, which may translate into a greater impact at the individual level," added the report.

"The outbreak in Spain will be influenced by the success with which the recommendations reach the population at risk and the availability of the vaccine which is currently scarce, both in Spain and worldwide, due to the difficulties of its manufacture," said Health Minister Carolina Darias on Tuesday.

Now read: Extreme temperatures can alter drug effectiveness: how best to store medication

Imager: Ministerio de Sanidad

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