The Public Health Surveillance Service of the Balearic Islands has registered for the first time cases of clade I of monkeypox, a variant of the virus associated with greater severity and that until now had not circulated in the archipelago. This has been confirmed by IbSalut sources.
According to official data, in recent months there has been an accumulation of cases of monkeypox in the Balearic Islands, part of which correspond to this variant. However, from Public Health emphasize that, in the overall balance of the year, the incidence of the disease maintains a downward trend compared to previous years, according to Diario Mallorca.
Monkeypox clade I is considered endemic to Central African countries and is associated with more severe clinical pictures, whereas clade II, with generally milder symptoms, has been predominant in West African countries and has been the one that has mostly circulated in Europe until now.
During the year 2025, the surveillance system has detected a total of 13 cases in the Balearic Islands, nine of them concentrated in the last quarter. The health authorities insist that this situation is not considered an outbreak, but a punctual accumulation of cases that is being monitored.
As for the evolution of the disease in previous years, 16 cases were confirmed in 2024, while 15 were recorded in 2023. The highest figure was reached in 2022, with a total of 216 confirmed cases in the archipelago.
