The Ministry of Health has asked people who have started their vaccination schedule against monkeypox (now known as mpox) and those who have not and are part of the population at high risk of infection to complete the immunization. Long-term protection from a single dose is unknown.
According to the latest data from the ministry, only half of the more than 40,600 people vaccinated across the state completed the regimen due to limited availability of vials when there was a peak of infections in 2022 with 7,521 across the state and 547 in the Valencia community.
Contagions have been reduced significantly in 2023 with 319 cases in the whole of Spain and 26 in our territory, but this year there are already 260 cases in the state as a whole and 11 in the Valencian Community. Almost half of the new cases, 118, have been reported in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, according to the latest update of the epidemiological situation of the new coronavirus disease (MPOX). Madrid’s figure is the highest of all the Autonomous Communities and is already equal to the total number of infections in 2023.
Spain leads the European Union in diagnoses of the infection and the number of cases has doubled in France, the second-most affected country, according to June data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Sexual intercourse is the main route of infection.
Sex remains the most likely route of transmission statewide: 80% of this year’s cases were acquired sexually, while 4.9% were acquired out of context. Information is not available for the remaining 15.8%.
Excluding the case of a child under six years of age, there were 190 men who had sexual relations with other men, six heterosexual men, five heterosexual women, and 48 who did not have such data.
16.4% reported having been in close contact with a probable or confirmed case. Additionally, 28 people had traveled in the 21 days prior to symptom onset, but only six were classified as imported cases.
13% had complications such as secondary bacterial infection, oral ulcers or keratitis. One-third were HIV positive. Twelve patients had to be admitted, all men, with a mean age of 30.5 years.
“Infuriatingly humble social media buff. Twitter advocate. Writer. Internet nerd.”
