The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns of the risk of an increase in cases of patients with mpox, the new name for the disease known as “monkeypox”.
Since May of last year, the disease has killed six people in 29 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area. A total of 21,170 cases were identified, mostly men (98.1%) between 18 and 40 years of age (64.6%).
After the peak in July 2022, the trend has been towards a slowdown in infections, but the ECDC warns of the risk of a new outbreak in spring and summer associated with holiday trips and summer festivals.
The ECDC recommends increased surveillance to allow for “early diagnosis, patient isolation, contact tracing” as well as faster access to testing and proper vaccination.
The Mpox vaccine can be administered after a risky contact or as a preventative measure.
According to data from the European center, at the beginning of March more than 300,000 doses of the vaccine had been administered in 25 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area.
In Portugal, until November last year, around 1,200 people had been vaccinated.
Source: TSF
