Podcast

Explaining Brazil #209: The state of monkeypox in Brazil

Brazil has over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox. With the exception of Peru’s 275 confirmed cases, no other Latin American countries have hit the 100-case mark, making Brazil the region's monkeypox hotspot

After almost two and a half years of the coronavirus pandemic, the world is braced for another new global health crisis. One week after the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern, Brazil recorded its first fatality — the first person to die from the disease outside of Africa.

In a statement, the country’s health ministry stressed that the 41-year-old patient suffered from lymphoma, a weakened immune system, and underlying health conditions that contributed to his death by the disease.

According to the latest figures, Brazil has over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox, over 1,000 of which are in São Paulo, the country’s most populous state.

This is exponentially greater than its Latin American neighbors. With the exception of Peru’s 275 confirmed cases, no other countries have hit the 100-case mark, making Brazil the region’s monkeypox hotspot.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:

Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer

Guest:

  • Cedê Silva is a Brasília correspondent for The Brazilian Report. He has worked for O Antagonista, O Estado de S.Paulo, Veja BH, and YouTube channel MyNews.

This episode used music from Uppbeat. License codes: RMZNWEJWBJJKREIT, IWIQICAB5R2ADO7L, GKLY5VXFOLBZ78DN

Background reading:

Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.