The Italian tourist who, according to local authorities, was suffering from monkeypox, the first case reported in Cuba, died in the past few hours. The man, Germano Mancini, 50, originally from breaking latest news, was commander of the Carabinieri of Scorzè. (Venice) for a couple of months and had been on the island since 15 August.
“The patient, who had been in unstable critical condition since August 18, died on the evening of August 21,” the Cuban Ministry of Health said in a statement. The 50-year-old Italian arrived in Cuba on August 15 and was hospitalized three days later, the ministry added. “The autopsy report carried out at the Institute of Forensic Medicine concludes that the death was caused by sepsis due to bronchopneumonia with undetermined germ and damage to multiple organs,” it reads.
After the analyzes, the ministry ruled out other infectious pathologies in the patient. The Italian was staying in a rented house and had visited several places in the west of the country. On Wednesday he complained of “general symptoms” of malaise and, as they persisted, he went to a doctor on Thursday. He was rushed to hospital after suffering cardiac arrest from which he recovered. According to the ministry, people who have had contact with the man who are in isolation are currently asymptomatic.
The Italian embassy in Havana, in connection with the Farnesina, is working on giving maximum assistance to family members.
“Yesterday’s news of the first death among the Italian cases of monkeypox, one of our compatriots who died in Cuba, should not alarm the population. Except in exceptional cases, the disease proceeds in a benign way, without serious complications, with the healing that occurs. after 2-3 weeks “. This was stated by the general manager of Spallanzani, Francesco Vaia.
In a note, he explains, that “in the face of over 42,000 cases reported in non-endemic countries, therefore outside Central and West Africa, there were only 5 deaths, equal to a lethality of 1.2 per 10,000. Today the disease affects only population groups, and we have a vaccine, which is the third generation smallpox vaccine (MVA-BN), which has a high protection capacity (at least 85%) from the disease. of the Lazio Region, we have already vaccinated more than 500 people at risk of infection with monkeypox and many others will be vaccinated in the coming weeks. Also in our Institute – it is stated – we are conducting studies on the immunological memory of people vaccinated against the Smallpox. Preliminary data indicate that over 90% of people who were vaccinated over 40 years ago for smallpox have antibodies that react with the monkeypox virus, sometimes even in high quantities. ” .
These data show that “the smallpox vaccine is able to stimulate a strong and lasting immune response, even after many years. This response in people at risk for monkeypox, can be easily recalled even with a single dose of vaccine. . Those who have not received the vaccination in the past, and have behaviors that expose them to risk of contagion, must instead carry out two doses of the vaccine, 28 days apart “. According to Vaia “it is confirmed that vaccination, in this case only on the population at risk and not on the total population, represents once again a highly effective and lasting protection tool to combat this new disease”.
“We must be cautious about the causes of the death of Lieutenant Mancini, there are no documents, even the family and the Carabinieri themselves do not yet know anything specific”, said Nais Marcon, mayor of Scorzè (Venice), the town where he worked service the carabiniere. Mancini had been on duty in the Treviso area at Zero Brnco for a couple of years then, transferred to Scorzé, he followed the entire professional process until recently, after 16 years, he was in charge of the local Carabinieri station. “He lived in nearby Noale with his wife – reports Marcon – and had a 20-year-old son. The news impressed us very much; Mancini was known not only for his ‘uniform’ but for his availability, always smiling, ready to run first to each call, in particular, was of great support in social problems “.