There have been thirteen cases of monkeypox registered in León since 2022, but none this year.

Since mid-2022, the province of León has registered a total of thirteen cases of monkeypox. It is the third province in the community to have accumulated more cases after Valladolid and Burgos, according to data provided this Thursday by the Ministry of Health on the epidemiological situation of cases of the mpox virus in Castilla y León.

The province recorded the most cases of the virus in 2022, with twelve of the total. Another was recorded in the third week of 2023. In 2024, Leon did not record a single case.

Between week 25 of 2022 and week 33 of 2024, there were 91 confirmed cases of MPOX infection in the community. The gender distribution was 90 cases in men and one case in women. The age range was 18 to 61 years, with an average age of 39 years.

The peak of cases occurred in the 30th week of 2022 – 16. So far in 2024, only one has been recorded. There are no cases of the new variant in the community.

In the province of Leon, 13 cases have been registered. In Valladolid, 37, in Avila, two, in Burgos, 16, in Palencia, eight, in Salamanca, nine, in Segovia, two, in Soria, two and in Zamora, two.

By age, only one case was registered among persons under 20 years old; 18 cases from 20 to 29 years old; 32 from 30 to 39; 22 from 40 to 49; 17 from 50 to 59 years old and one 60 years and older.

Recommendations and vaccinations

The vaccination program against mpox in Castilla y León, updated in August 2023, is still in effect. The Ministry of Health considers it essential to “continue promoting preventive vaccination against this infection, especially among vulnerable populations.”

The current preventive vaccination strategy prioritises people who have unprotected sex, “primarily, but not exclusively, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSH)”. Particular importance is given to people who have multiple sexual partners, engage in group sex or have recently had a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

The recommended vaccination schedule for prevention is two doses, separated by a minimum of 28 days. Due to limited availability of doses at the start of the 2022 outbreak, some people in the recommended groups only received the initial dose. These people are advised to complete the vaccination schedule with a second dose, regardless of the time that has passed since the first dose.

To facilitate recruitment of the candidate population to receive this vaccine both before and after exposure, this vaccine can be provided in primary care settings and hospitals.

To do this, it is recommended to make an appointment at health centres (or accredited private vaccination points) and hospitals, preventive medicine services or occupational health services.

Updating your vaccination record

Vaccination against monkeypox in Spain began on June 13, 2022. According to the Vaccination Registry of the Population of Castile and León (REVA, data verified on 08/08/2024), 1,038 doses of the MPOX vaccine have been administered in our autonomous community. The total number of people vaccinated was 565, of which 473 received two doses and 92 received one dose.

Public health advocates recommend vaccination both before exposure (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for people with risky sexual practices and for people who have not had the disease but have had close contact with someone who has (post-exposure prophylaxis).