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Spain reports Europe's first monkeypox-related death

Saturday, 30 July 2022 9:02 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 30 July 2022 9:02 AM ]

Test tubes labelled "Monkeypox virus positive" are seen in this illustration taken May 23, 2022.(Photo by Reuters)

Spain has reported what is believed to be Europe’s first monkeypox-related death in the current outbreak of the disease that began in early May.

As of July 22, only 5 deaths have been reported worldwide, all in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On Friday, the Spanish Health Ministry said 4,298 cases had been confirmed in the country, adding, of the 3,750 patients it had information on, 120 had been hospitalized and one had died.

Meanwhile, Brazil also reported Friday the first death caused by monkeypox. The victim was a 41-year-old man who also suffered from lymphoma and a weakened immune system.

“The comorbidities aggravated his condition,” the ministry said.

Brazil's Ministry of Health has registered nearly a thousand cases of monkeypox, most of them in the states of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which are located in the southeast of the country.

Last week, the WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global health emergency.

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The United States and Canada are also witnessing a high number of cases. According to statistics, these two countries have identified a total of 5,000 monkeypox cases.

Following the increase in the number of people infected with the virus, the mayor of San Francisco declared a state of emergency.

Also, the governor of New York declared a monkeypox emergency in this state.

The initial symptoms of the disease include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and skin lesions similar to those caused by chicken pox.

Monkeypox has affected over 16,800 people in 74 countries, according to a tally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published on July 22.

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