The objective is to avoid contagion and the spread of the disease. monkeypox. A virus that is already at the doors of europe and for which the police unions demand protective measures at the main points of movement, including airports and islands with the highest migratory flow.

“We demand clear guidelines, personal protective equipment, specific training and strict hygiene measures,” says the spokesperson for the Professional Association of Justice and Civil Guard (Jucil), Mila Cívico.

However, experts say that due to the epidemiological nature of the virus, such extreme protective measures would be ineffective. This virus is transmitted by the close skin to skin contactso its ability to spread is not as fast as the COVID-19 and its incubation period is three weeks: “It makes no sense to have controls at airports when the incubation period can last three weeks,” explains epidemiologist Daniel López Acuña.

So, the most effective method to avoid contracting the mpox is the vaccination of risk groupsprevention, as well as monitoring and following up on close contacts of infected people. “It is a serious problem, but we should not be alarmed as if it were a disease that is going to massively attack the population,” López Acuña clarifies to laSexta.

However, in Madrid the appointment system has been saturated after the Health alert issued by WHO and it is currently impossible to get one. In fact, Spain is the European country that leads the number of cases with more than 250 new ones throughout this year.

However, the epidemic is currently affecting the African continent, where around fifteen countries are affected. new variant detected this year, the clade 1b, It spreads rapidly and its mortality rate is higherIn fact, more than 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been recorded this year.

In this way, for López Acuña the most important thing now is “facilitate access to the vaccine” in terms of “economic, logistical or availability” with the focus on “prioritize Africa”. Speeding up vaccination in these areas, extending it to children and adolescents, will be key to controlling the virus.