Spain has reported the first confirmed death from monkeypox in Europe.
The Spanish authorities have not immediately released details about the person who died from the virus.
So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported only five confirmed monkey pox deaths, all in Africa.
It’s because Brazil also reported its first monkeypox-related death today.
The Brazilian victim was a 41-year-old man who, according to the health ministry, also suffered from lymphoma and a weakened immune system.
“The comorbidities exacerbated his condition,” the ministry said, adding that the patient was admitted to the southeast of the city of Belo Horizonte and died of septic shock after being taken to intensive care.
The first death from monkeypox in America came less than a week after the WHO declared the rapidly spreading outbreak a global health emergency, the highest alert level.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Brazil, along with the United States and Canada, is one of the countries most affected by monkeypox in the Americas, with more than 5,000 cases reported so far.
PAHO said in a news conference this week that nearly all cases had been reported in men who have sex with men between the ages of 25 and 45, but warned that anyone can get the disease, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.