Brazil already has 813 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the Ministry of Health. The number represents an increase of 33% compared to last Friday (22), when there were 607 confirmed diagnoses across the country.
The country was already registering a substantial increase in positive diagnoses for the disease. As of July 9, there were 218 patients in Brazil with the disease. With the latest data, cases have more than tripled in a span of just over two weeks.
According to Our World in Data, from the University of Oxford, the number of people with the infection makes Brazil, this Tuesday afternoon, in the sixth position of the countries with the most cases of monkeypox. The nation with the most diagnoses is Spain, with 3,125, followed by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
Most diagnoses are in the state of São Paulo. This Monday (25), the São Paulo Health Department said that the state has already registered 590 diagnoses of the disease, 486 of which are in the capital of São Paulo. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health stated that there are 595 patients with monkeypox in the Federation unit.
In addition to São Paulo, 13 other states already have cases of the disease. Rio de Janeiro is the second with the largest contingent, registering 109 cases.
The situation in the country sparks an alert. The WHO (World Health Organization) technical leader for monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, said this Tuesday (26) that “the situation in Brazil [para a doença] it’s worrying”.
“It is very worrying for countries like Brazil […] reporting a significant number of cases,” he said.
She also drew attention to testing problems that could affect the country. “Which is […] important is access to tests.”
The organization declared last Saturday (23) that the disease is considered a public emergency of global concern.
“We believe it is time for this announcement, considering that, day by day, more countries and people are being affected by the disease. We need coordination and solidarity to control this outbreak”, said Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the WHO.
Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox, a virus of the orthopoxvirus genus. Another pathogen that is also of this genus is the one that causes common smallpox, a disease eradicated in 1980.
The main symptoms of the disease are fever, malaise and body aches. Then, the condition evolves to the appearance of skin lesions, with contact with these wounds being the main form of transmission of the virus.
However, research already reports that some patients develop these lesions in the genital, anal or oral regions. The hypothesis is that this happens because the spread of the disease is mainly occurring through sexual contact and in the community of men who have sex with other men. The WHO, for example, has already indicated that about 90% of diagnoses are concentrated in this population.
One fear is that this scenario causes stigma for these men. “Stigma and discrimination can be more dangerous than any virus,” Adhanom said.
Vaccination of key populations and people who have had contact with patients is an effective way to prevent transmission, but the expectation is that the vaccine will take time to reach Brazil.
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