MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Monkeypox spreading fast throughout South America

Brazil recorded its second death of a patient with monkeypox

Peruvian health authorities Monday reported 1,463 cases of monkeypox in 16 of the country's regions, while 812 patients had already been discharged, as Health Ministry officials were monitoring the close contacts of those infected.

Metropolitan Lima accounted for the bulk of the cases (1181), with the rest scattered nationwide as follows: Lima Provincias (14), Callao (90), La Libertad (74), Arequipa (46), Cusco (9), Piura (8), Ica (5), Ancash (6), Cajamarca (2), Loreto (3), Junin (3), Huanuco (2), Lambayeque (6), Ucayali (6), Tacna (4) and San Martin (4).

Meanwhile, Colombia's National Health Institute (INS) reported Monday 582 confirmed cases in Bogota and in 17 departments, while announcing that after 1,225 alerts, 922 tests were performed, of which 381 were negative.

For the second straight week, the number of infections doubled in the country, where Bogota, Antioquia, Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca, and Tolima were the regions most affected.

According to the INS, only 4% of the infections were imported cases, which proved transmission is already going on locally.

At the same time, Ecuador reached 51 cases of monkeypox, after confirming 16 new cases, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) said Monday. Of the total number of people infected, 42 are men and 9 women. The infections are mainly in the provinces of Guayas (17 cases), Azuay (14), Pichincha (12), El Oro (4), Santa Elena (2), Cañar (1), and Los Rios (1).

Ecuador confirmed the first case of monkeypox in its territory on July 6 in a 30-year-old man in Guayaquil, the capital of the province of Guayas.

With Monday's new case, Uruguay has reached a total of 4 cases of monkeypox nationwide, after 42 other suspected cases were ruled out.

Health Minister Daniel Salinas announced a few days ago that between 6,000 and 7,000 doses of third-generation inactivated virus vaccines will be arriving between October and November.

Uruguay confirmed the first case of monkeypox on July 29. It was a man with a travel record.

In Brazil, health authorities announced Monday that a 33-year-old man with monkeypox in the state of Rio de Janeiro had died, thus becoming the second fatality in the country. The patient was reported to have low immunity and co-morbidities which aggravated the symptoms. None of the victim's contacts had developed any symptoms of the disease, it was also reported.

Brazil registered the first death from monkeypox on July 29. It was also a man with comorbidities in the state of Minas Gerais. Brazil is the third country in the world with the most confirmed cases of the disease, with 4,216, surpassed only by the United States and Spain.