The Balearic Islands recorded a monkeypox outbreak in the final weeks of 2025, with nine cases that were initially linked to one another and detected between late November and December. According to the Regional Ministry of Health, the situation is now under control and no new infections have been reported since the end of the year. The main novelty is that, for the first time, clade 1 of the virus has been identified on the islands — a variant whose emergence led the World Health Organization to declare a second international health emergency in 2024.
This was explained by the Director General of Public Health of the Balearic Government, Elena Esteban, who stressed that the detection of this variant does not imply a higher risk. “From an epidemiological point of view it is significant because we had not seen it before in the Balearic Islands, but the severity of both variants is similar”, she said.
13 cases of monkeypox in 2025, nine of them at the end of the year
According to Public Health data, the Balearic Islands closed 2025 with a total of 13 confirmed cases of monkeypox. Four were diagnosed earlier in the year, while the remaining nine were concentrated in the final weeks, resulting in an outbreak. “They were clustered at the end of the year, but the situation is limited and we have not detected any further cases since then”, Esteban confirmed.
The most recent case was reported on December 22, according to data updated up to January 7. The nine latest infections are epidemiologically linked, although Public Health officials acknowledge the difficulties involved in tracing cases. “Follow-up is very complicated. In many cases, those affected have had multiple sexual contacts, and establishing clear links is not straightforward”, the Director General explained.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.