Spain detected a total of 59 cases of monkeypox on Wednesday and will order vaccines and antivirals through a bulk purchase from the European Union (EU), the government said.
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A total of 59 positive cases were detected by PCR test, including 20 confirmed by genomic sequencing, announced the Minister of Health Carolina Darias at a press conference.
“It is reasonable to assume that, being positive, all these (59) people have the disease” of monkeypox, explained the director of the Carlos III Research Institute, Cristóbal Belda.
A total of 171 suspected cases have been detected in the country.
In addition, Spain intends to acquire Imvanex vaccines and Tecovirimat antivirals via a group purchase from the EU to curb the spread of this virus, announced the Minister of Health.
The European organization HERA (“Health Emergency Response Authority”) “will make the vaccine available to member states, in this case the Imvanex vaccine (…)”, she indicated, without specifying the quantities or distribution deadlines.
“It is the HERA which will determine the deadlines” and “the doses will be distributed equitably between the member states” for these products “with limited production and limited access”, indicated the Minister.
Imvanex, from the Bavarian Nordic laboratory, is a 3rd generation vaccine (non-replicating live vaccine, that is to say that does not replicate in the human body) authorized in Europe since 2013 and indicated against smallpox in adults.
There are no specific treatments or vaccines for monkeypox, but the multiplication of cases can be stemmed with smallpox vaccination, explains the WHO.
Monkeypox, several cases of which have recently been detected in Europe and North America, is a rare disease originating in Africa which is generally cured spontaneously.