Monkeypox: first death in Europe, 1 400 doses of vaccine travel to Luxembourg
Monkeypox infection case ended with the death of a patient for the first time in European history, reports Reuters. The Spanish Ministry of Health announced the patient’s death today, July 30.
However, the disease was not the main cause of death. Against the background of smallpox, a patient from Valencia developed encephalitis. The doctors were unable to save him. One person also died of monkeypox yesterday, in Brazil. These are the first deaths caused by the disease outside of Africa.
Luxembourg is already preparing for an epidemic of the new disease. The country will receive 1 400 doses of the Imvanex vaccine in August, the Grand Duchy’s Ministry of Health has stated.
The ordered vaccine has already been approved by the European Union. In total, the member countries will receive 109 000 doses. It seems that at the end of summer a new round of vaccinations awaits the whole region.
But the WHO has already stated that vaccination alone will not be enough to globally deal with this new epidemic. Therefore, the organization asks all people in risk groups to take precautions. The Luxembourg Ministry of Health outlines them in more detail:
- Wash your hands often with soap
- Do not share towels and bedding with infected and potentially infected
- Do not have any sexual contacts with infected or potentially infected
Such precautions are justified. The monkeypox outbreak risks becoming the second serious pandemic in just a few years. In Europe, more than 13 000 are already infected. The number increased by 25% in a week. And in Luxembourg, 23 people fell ill this week, 40% more than a week ago.
Just last Saturday the WHO has officially announced that monkeypox is a global health threat.
