Mpox outbreak declared in Barcelona, 6 cases diagnosed since July

The Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) has declared an mpox – formally known as monkeypox – outbreak in the city as 6 cases of the contagious virus have been diagnosed in July and August.

Once an outbreak is declared after a certain number of cases are detected, the Catalan government's public health surveillance service is notified, as is the public health system, to improve diagnostic capacity. 

"This is a standard procedure," ASPB sources said. 

According to to 'El Periódico' newspaper, the six cases that have been detected thus far are unrelated, which has led health officials to suspect there could be community transmission. 

In an interview with RAC1 radio, Catalan public health surveillance official Jacobo Mendioroz said that the odds of there being an outbreak like last summer's "are very remote." Mendioroz also stated that 4 of the 6 cases had been diagnosed in August. 

By the end of last September, over 2,000 people had been diagnosed with mpox and almost 9,700 vaccines had been administered across Catalonia. 

The most common form of transmission is through sexual contact with someone who is infected. 

Infections can occur through direct and close contact with skin lesions or scabs, clothing or bedding, or saliva and respiratory tract secretions.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, rashes, and lymph node abnormalities. More severe cases can cause rectum lining inflammation and eye damage.