The Diplomat
The Ministry of Health has reported that Spain has recorded a total of 8,104 confirmed cases of mpox infection – previously known as monkeypox – since the beginning of the outbreak in 2022, making it the European country with the most people affected, followed by France (4,272) and the United Kingdom (3,866).
In 2024, as of August 8, a total of 264 cases of mpox have been reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE), most of the cases in men with a median age of 37 years and born in Spain. In addition, in the last month, cases were reported in 9 autonomous communities: Community of Madrid (116 cases), Andalusia (67), Catalonia (22), Balearic Islands (10), Valencian Community (11), Galicia (6), Castilla la Mancha (6), Basque Country (5), Castilla y León (3), Canary Islands (3), Extremadura (1) and Murcia (1).
On Wednesday, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert level, due to the mpox outbreak in Africa, which arose in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and was caused by a new, more serious and lethal strain. The number of cases so far this year has exceeded the total for last year, with more than 14,000 diagnoses and 524 deaths.
Thus, the Ministry of Health has announced that a technical group meeting will take place next Monday, August 19, to share and discuss the actions arising from the international health emergency due to the mpox outbreak in Africa.
