Peru is the third country in the world with the highest rate of monkeypox infection per million inhabitants.

Ministry of Health care reported last Monday that there were 834 cases monkeypox in the country, of which 666 are in Lima. Of the total number of 321 patients had discharge data.

In Latin America, Peru lags behind Brazil, the second country with the highest number of cases monkeypoxbut ranks third in the world with the highest infection rate per million inhabitants after the US and Canada, according to Oxford University.

According to the Our World data platform, the number of cases accumulated over the past seven days per million inhabitants puts the country behind only Spain and the United States.

At the same time, the figures presented Ministry of Health care The day before, they indicate that there are currently 513 active cases and 321 sick discharges.

In the department of Lima, the majority of cases of infection with the virus, 694, are concentrated, and the rest are distributed in 14 regions: Callao (55), La Libertad (39), Arequipa (14), Cusco (6), Piura (5). , Ica (4), Loreto (3), Ancash (3), Cajamarca (2), Junin (2), Huanuco (2), Lambayake (2), Ucayali (2) and Tacna (1).

In its report, the ministry indicated that since the discovery of the first infection with the virus, monkeypox In Peru, from June 26 to Monday, the number of cases reached 834, with 59 new cases.

The institution also indicated that all people affected by the virus are receiving medical care and are under observation, and contacts are being identified.

Buying Vaccines

Regarding the purchase of vaccines, the Minister of Health, Jorge Lopezconfirmed last week that the acquisition of doses would be done jointly with other interested Members Pan American Health Organization (PAOS).

“…a committee of experts has met in connection with the acquisition of a vaccine. They determined that the vaccine would be purchased. We hope they deliver the doses to us in due time,” Lopez said at a press conference. conference. .

The Minister explained that PAHO Revolving Fund it is “the most appropriate mechanism to ensure equitable and favorable access to monkeypox vaccines”.

Monkeypox cases worldwide

Since May last year, an increasing number of cases have been recorded in countries around the world. monkeypox not associated with areas of West and Central Africa where the disease is endemic.

July 24 at World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak monkeypox as an international public health emergency, its highest alert level. And he said the current outbreak mostly affects men who have sex with men (MSM).

“Most patients range in age from 20 to 54, young adults and adults, and we observe that over 90% are men and over 92% are MSM,” Dr. Moises Guido Sihuancha, head of the epidemiology department, told AFP. , Loaiza Hospital.

“We get [en este hospital] almost a fifth of the cases reported in Lima. To date, we have a total of 114 confirmed cases, of which 113 are male and one female, and we are seeing an increase every day,” he adds.

Most cases are mild and the patient recovers in two to four weeks, but deaths have been reported outside of Africa. Some of the deceased also suffered from other pathologies, including a 45-year-old Peruvian who refused to take anti-inflammatory drugs. HIV AIDS.

The disease was first identified in humans in 1970. Democratic Republic of the Congo and it is endemic in several African countries. It is considered a rare viral disease transmitted through close contact with an infected person and skin lesions.

The legislator said that economic interests are behind the project, approved at the insistence of the plenary session of the parliament. On the other hand, MP Alex Paredes of the ruling Magisterial Bloc justified his group’s support for the project’s persistence despite the government’s compliance with the law.