Death from monkeypox in Brazil is the first reported outside Africa

The death of a monkeypox patient in Minas Gerais was the first reported outside Africa. Until this Thursday (28), five deaths had been confirmed by the disease in the world, but all were concentrated in the African continent, according to the official balance of the WHO (World Health Organization).

Also this Friday (29), Spain announced its first death associated with the disease in the country – which would also be the first reported on the European continent. None of the deaths – from Brazil and Spain – had been included in the WHO panel on monkeypox as of Friday afternoon.

The entity also did not comment on the deaths until the publication of this report. As the organization’s last update was on Thursday, other cases may not have been computed.

For Julio Croda, an infectious disease specialist and president of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine, the death has international significance because it was the first death outside Africa. “It doesn’t just have a local relevance. It also has a global relevance.”

Last Wednesday (27), Tedros Adnahom, director-general of the WHO, said that around 10% of patients worldwide – there are already more than 21,000 cases in 79 countries, according to the organization – needed medical attention to alleviate the symptoms of monkeypox.

“This is an outbreak that can be stopped if countries, communities and individuals become informed, take the risks seriously and take the necessary steps to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups,” he said.

The disease has been classified by the organization as a public emergency of global concern. The entity has already declared that it considers the situation in Brazil for the disease as alarming.

Until this Thursday, Brazil had already registered 1,066 confirmed diagnoses of the disease, according to the Ministry of Health. The federal government announced the creation of an emergency monkeypox committee, which was activated this Friday, and treats monkeypox as an outbreak.

For experts, the death in Brazil sparks an alert for the need to contain the increase in cases. “We have to intensify efforts to contain this disease”, says Clarissa Damaso, a virologist at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and advisor to the WHO committee for research on smallpox virus.

Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox, a virus of the orthopoxvirus genus — which also includes the pathogen that causes smallpox, a disease that was eradicated in 1980.

One of the main current strategies to stop the spread of the disease involves avoiding sexual contacts with strangers, since most infections are being transmitted this way.

Vaccination of people at greater risk, such as health professionals who handle the virus, and people who have contacts with infected patients is also one of the ways to stop the evolution of the outbreak.

This Friday, after the confirmation of the first death, the Ministry of Health announced the order of 50 thousand doses of vaccine against monkeypox. The expectation is that about 20 thousand doses arrive in September and the rest in October.

The folder states that the objective is to vaccinate health professionals who deal directly with biological samples – such as those who work in laboratories -, and people who have had contact with those infected.