67 cases have been identified in the last week

IN Spain, According to data provided by the Ministry of Health up to August 26, 334 cases of monkeypox (ompox) have been confirmed this year. With these new cases, the total number of infections recorded since the outbreak began in April 2022 is 8,178. Thus, taking into account incomplete figures, 67 cases have been diagnosed in our country in the last week.

However, despite the terrible data, the Minister of Health Mónica García announced that she would donate 20% of our country’s vaccines to Africa, without implementing any health policy in Spain in favor of promoting vaccination and protection against the risk of the sector. This increase in recent days is explained by the lack of a national prevention policy, and only the autonomous communities are working to eradicate this disease, of course without the help of the government.

On the other hand, Minister Monica Garcia, despite these terrifying figures of new cases of infection, limited herself to calling on the population to “keep calm and act with caution“, stressing that the situation continues to be a “controlled epidemic”, although the number of infections in our country is growing rapidly.

The person responsible for health recently emphasized the effectiveness of the health care system. Epidemiological surveillance in Spaincalling it “one of the best” to ensure the country has enough vaccines in reserve “to meet any need,” despite the donations they make and the lack of vaccination campaigns at the national government level.

World Health Organization (WHO) On August 14, it declared a public health emergency of international concern, the highest alert level, because of a smallpox outbreak that originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and was caused by a new, more severe and deadly strain. Outside Africa, Sweden and Thailand have also reported cases of mpox clade I.

According to data from CDC Africa Epidemic Situation Report As of 16 August 2024, 18,837 smallpox cases, including 3,101 confirmed cases and 541 deaths, have been reported in Africa in 2024 across 12 African Union (AU) Member States.

In August, 18 cases were registered with the onset of symptoms between the 5th and 19th.: Madrid (11 cases), Castilla-La Mancha (2 cases), Andalusia (1 case), Catalonia (1 case), Cantabria (1 case), Castilla y León (1 case) and Murcia (1 case), according to the CVES report on Monday.

As for the Community of Madrid, A total of 162 cases of MPOC were registered in 2024., nine of them in the last weekwhich means a fourfold increase over the same period in 2023.

In particular, from January 1 to August 25. There have been 162 cases of smallpox registered in the region.compared with 38 reported during the same 34-week period last year.

Of the total 162 cases, twelve had been previously vaccinated with one current dose and 14 had been vaccinated with two current doses of monkeypox vaccine. Almost all of them were men, and in 92.4% of cases the risk was sexual intercourse.

Since the outbreak began in 2022, 2,800 cases of MCV have been registered in the region by the 25th of the second clade of the virus, of which 2,774 have been confirmed, most of them diagnosed in 2022.

Of the confirmed cases, over 98% were male, and the most common age was 30 to 39 years. Over three years, sexual transmission was over 90%, with 88.4% being men who have sex with men.

The Director General of Public Health, Elena Andradas, said last week that about 19,000 people have been vaccinated in the region. Appointments are now available at the vaccination centre. General Oraa Street or Sandoval Sanatorium.

WHO Needs 78 Million for Africa

World Health Organization (WHO) €78.2 million (US$87.4 million) is needed over six months, from September 2024 to February 2025, to work with countries, partners and other stakeholders to stop and contain the ongoing monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak.

WHO will use these funds to implement the critical activities outlined in the Strategic Global Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), released this Monday, 26 August 2024. The SPRP is a comprehensive framework developed by WHO to guide the global response to mpox.with a focus on surveillance, research, equitable access to medical countermeasures and community empowerment.

The funds will be used at WHO headquarters, regional and country offices to coordinate the response, provide technical support, conduct operations and deliver medical supplies.

WHO is calling on donors to urgently fund the entire mpox response to prevent further spread and protect those most at risk.