Second person dies from monkeypox in Spain - hours after first confirmed death

A second person has died from monkeypox in Spain - just hours after the first confirmed death in the current outbreak.

The latest fatality was recorded by the Spanish health ministry on Saturday.

The first death, reported on Friday, occurred in the north-eastern Valencia region.

Local media reports, citing the regional health department, said the cause of death was encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain associated with the infection.

The deaths are believed to be the only two known in Europe.

A total of three people outside Africa are now believed to have succumbed to the disease after Brazil reported its first monkeypox-related death outside the continent on Friday.

The victim, a 41-year-old man, was hospitalised in the south-eastern city of Belo Horizonte and died from septic shock in the intensive care unit.

He suffered from lymphoma and a weakened immune system which "aggravated his condition", the Brazilian ministry said.

There have been 75 suspected deaths in Africa - mainly Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo - where a more deadly form of the virus is spreading.

More than 21,000 monkeypox cases across almost 80 countries have been reported since May.

Some 4,298 people have become infected with the virus in Spain - meaning it has the most cases in Europe.

Of that total, around 3,500 were men who had sex with other men, while 64 cases were women.

Some 120 patients - equivalent to 3.2% - have needed hospital treatment, the Spanish ministry said.

Authorities are administering 5,300 vaccines to Spain via the joint EU vaccine purchase scheme.

However, health workers fear the number is far fewer than the supply necessary to cover people potentially at risk.

The World Health Organisation declared the rapidly spreading outbreak a global emergency - its highest level of alert.

The spread of the disease to Europe has been linked by experts to two raves in Belgium and Spain.

California undecided whether to declare state-wide emergency

San Francisco declared a state of emergency on Friday in response to the rapidly growing number of cases.

As of 27 July, 261 people had confirmed or probably infections - as health officials warned the number was likely to increase.

San Francisco mayor, London Breed, said the city's LGBTQ community is seeing significant cases and called for more action and more vaccines.

But the state of California is undecided about whether to declare a state-wide emergency, officials said on Saturday.

It has reported almost 800 probably and confirmed cases of more than 3,000 identified in the US.

Only New York has recorded more cases - with the state governor Kathy Hochu declaring a state of emergency over the disease spread on Friday.

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Gay men advised to limit number of partners to slow spread of Monkeypox
Monkeypox explained: How do you catch it, what are the symptoms, and how easily does it spread?

Monkeypox is transmitted mainly by skin-to-skin contact - but can also be spread via bedsheets used by someone who has the condition.

Symptoms can include fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and hives.

Many people have experienced mild symptoms however some people can suffer extremely painful legions and be contagious for weeks.