Following the detection of several cases of people infected with the simian smallpox virus in the UK, health authorities are concerned that there may be EU-wide transmission with undetected infections, both within and outside the country. In Spain, the Community of Madrid has identified 23 possible cases of infection.
In the first months of 2022, avian influenza has hit birds in Spain with unprecedented intensity. All outbreaks are now closed and the epidemiological situation is favourable, but we must not let our guard down. The risk of the virus jumping to humans is considered low.
Climate change will lead to at least 15,000 new cross-species virus transmissions by 2070, as habitat shifts on a 2°C warmer planet will bring previously distant animals closer together. This result, published in Nature, points to increased exposure of humans to pathogens from wild animals.