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.
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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:
- The Health Ministry claims to have ordered monkeypox vaccines but Brasília correspondent Cedê Silva understands that approval for emergency use of the immunizer has not been sought.
- Last week, Brazilian regulators created a technical committee to monitor the disease’s spread in the country. The government hopes the council will help Brazil take swift action to avoid a widespread outbreak.
- São Paulo health officials confirmed Brazil’s first monkeypox case on July 8. Two weeks later, the Health Ministry confirmed the first five cases of community transmission in the country.
- The Health Ministry of Peru announced the first death of a monkeypox-infected patient in the country. Peru has registered 275 infections and stands as the second-highest case count in Latin America behind Brazil.
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