only 1% of cases, but with great risk

Companions of a six-year-old child infected monkeypox (MPOX) They have already returned to class. They were all vaccinations for preventive purposesbut they must wear a mask until at least March 12 to eliminate any possibility of infection.

Last week, all alarm bells went off when it was reported that three members of a family in Seville had contracted monkeypox, including a child. ” MPOX symptoms in childhood “They are similar to those in adulthood: they consist of an initial phase of nonspecific symptoms such as headache, fever of varying intensity, fatigue… followed by the appearance of skin lesions, characteristic blisters,” he describes. Juan Luis Santos, Head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Virgen de las Nieves Hospital in Granada.

This year they were discovered 32 cases monkeypox in Andalusia compared to 31, with which 2023 is closed. These figures are far from what they were two years ago, when no less 884 cases by the end of 2022, According to the epidemiological surveillance report of the Carlos III Institute of Madrid. Thanks to Vaccination strategy promoted by the Ministry of Health at the peak of infections –July 2022 – in risk groups, the incidence rate has decreased significantly.

Fortunately, the incidence of MPOX in children since the outbreak in Spain has been negligible.

According to pediatric infectious disease specialist Juan Luis Santos, Less than 1% of cases are described in children under 20 years of age.. In addition, the few cases registered in our country “they were soft”. However, the pediatrician clarifies that “complications may arise.”

The child population, along with pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, risk groups for this disease. According to guidelines for the treatment of monkeypox in children published by the Ministry of Health, ” more injuries than in adults, which gives greater severity

and, above all, a greater risk of bacterial superinfections, which can complicate the case.

The risk of imported diseases such as MPOX entering and spreading into Spain increases with greater migration flows and climate change. “The growth of international travel makes it easier to transfer infectious diseases, the speed at which vectors can move. Among them, those related to migration deserve special attention and can be focused on specific groups and areas,” says Santos.

But there are infections multi-resistant bacteria (MRB) to antibiotics biggest public health problem. “This is considered the most serious pandemic we face today. Various international organizations have warned that there is no time to waste in addressing this problem, which continues to grow. Rising incidence of BMR may jeopardize the technological and therapeutic advances of recent decades“,” notes the infectious disease specialist. According to Santos, if we don’t take it seriously, we might find that existing antibiotics were ineffective, and hospital antibiotics had to be used, “The difference is that for children this arsenal is much more limited.” The situation is especially worrisome, the pediatrician adds, for hospitalized pediatric patients, who are at greater risk of infection. Nosocomial infections

, which are acquired during a hospital stay. One of the most common is HRV, But this year, thanks to the vaccination strategy, “it feels like the effectiveness has been high, especially when it comes to hospitalization,” explains the head of the pediatric emergency department at the Virgen de las Nieves hospital.