A more severe variant of monkeypox has been detected for the first time in the Balearic Islands.
The archipelago has registered an accumulation of cases of the virus in recent months, some of which would be of this variant that had never circulated in the Islands.
PalmThe Balearic Islands Public Health Surveillance Service has registered, for the first time, cases of clade I monkeypox, a variant associated with greater severity. The archipelago has recorded an accumulation of cases of the virus in recent months, some of which are believed to be this variant, which had never before circulated in the islands. However, the overall figures for the year show a decrease compared to previous years, according to sources at the Balearic Islands Health Service (IB-Salut) who spoke to ARA Baleares. Clade I, associated with greater severity, is considered endemic to Central African countries, while clade II, with milder symptoms, circulated in West African countries. The same sources indicated that in 2025, the surveillance service detected 13 cases, nine of which occurred in the last quarter, although this would not be considered an outbreak but rather an accumulation of cases. Regarding previous years, 16 cases were confirmed in 2024; In 2023, there were 15 cases, and in 2022, 216.
The Director General of Public Health, Elena Esteban, for her part, has offered reassurance and pointed out that although it was thought that the behavior of HIV/AIDS would be more severe in 2024, experience has shown otherwise. Regarding the accumulation of cases in recent months, the Director General indicated that it is difficult to establish an epidemiological link, but that they are men around 37 years old who have sex with men. Two cases, she explained, required hospitalization, but they were discharged quickly and their condition did not worsen.
Symptoms
According to the Director General of Public Health, the illness begins with flu-like symptoms, including general malaise and fever. After one to five days, skin lesions appear, first spots, then pustules or scabs. Recovery is considered complete when all the scabs have fallen off. Esteban emphasized the importance of vaccination for people who engage in high-risk behaviors.
