Fiona Govan
A seven-month old baby has become the latest case of monkeypox, confirmed health authorities in Madrid.
The baby as well as both the parents have tested positive to the virus and are isolating at their home in Spain’s capital.
A statement from Madrid’s health authority confirmed that the infant had contracted the illness from the parents and that the three of them were ‘recovering well’.
Since the first case of monkey pox was detected in Spain in mid-May, some 1,577 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the country.
It has mostly affected men who have been in sexual relations with other men after outbreaks were traced to a gay sauna in the capital and at a Pride festival in the Canary Islands.
“The same contagion profile is maintained at a general level as until now, that is, men who have sex with men in high-risk situations,” insisted the regional government in a recent statement.
Spain’s Health Ministry is offering vaccines to those aged between 18 and 45 who are considered high risk.
A report published at the end of June showed that of the 800 who had been infected by then, the vast majority (792) were men and more than half were confirmed in the Madrid region.
Only 24 people were hospitalised with no monkeypox-related deaths.
READ MORE:
- Monkeypox Q&A: how do you catch it and what are the risks? An expert explains
- EXPLAINER: What we know about the monkeypox outbreak in Spain
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