Health authorities have called for calm after confirming a case of Mpox at the Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella.
The Junta de Andalucia insisted established infection-control protocols are being followed and that ‘there is no risk’ to the wider public.
But a row has erupted after the Satse union called for the hospital’s recently completed infectious diseases unit to be brought into operation to house the patient – who is currently being treated in the cardiology unit.
According to Malaga Hoy, health chiefs stressed that protocols do not require an Mpox patient to be admitted to such a unit.
It has also rejected suggestions that the hospital is not equipped to manage the case.
Nurses raise concerns
Satse argued that the Cardiology ward does not have the specialist infrastructure it believes should be available when treating patients with infectious diseases.
The union warned that such temporary arrangements could be ‘putting at risk’ the safety of healthcare professionals and other patients.
Satse said there was ‘no justification’ for placing infectious-disease patients on wards it considers unsuitable for that purpose.
The Junta, however, maintains that the measures being taken are appropriate and that there is no risk associated with the patient’s hospitalisation under the current protocols.
What is Mpox?
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus and can be transmitted between people, primarily through close physical contact, including contact with infectious skin lesions and other contaminated material.
The disease generally causes relatively mild symptoms, although some people can become seriously ill.
This is reported to be the second publicly known Mpox case on the Costa del Sol, after the first was detected in May 2022 and subsequently confirmed by Spain’s National Microbiology Centre.
Andalucia has previously strengthened its surveillance of emerging viruses, including work by microbiology services at Sevilla’s Virgen del Rocio Hospital and Granada’s San Cecilio Hospital using PCR screening and genomic sequencing.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
