Skin lesions are one of the most common symptoms to identify smallpox infection. | Photo: Prensa Latina

Brasilia, October 26 (RHC)-- Brazil's Ministry of Health has reported the eighth death in that country from monkeypox, making it the most affected nation in the world in terms of fatalities from the disease.

According to the report, the deceased was a 33-year-old man residing in the state of Minas Gerais, with underlying health problems, and was admitted to a hospital in Belo Horizonte.  The most recent statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that Brazil and Nigeria were the countries with the highest number of monkeypox deaths worldwide, with seven.

With the new case, Brazil takes the negative lead with eight fatalities and remains the country with the second highest number of infections (8,890), behind only the United States (28,019).

However, local authorities are investigating another suspected death in the state of Minas Gerais, which could be added to the previous ones.

To address this dangerous trend, the Brazilian government purchased some 50,000 monkeypox vaccines, although only 9,800 doses have been received so far.