The man shared a room at Hospital Donostia in San Sebastián with another patient before doctors identified the infection. He later died at 61, becoming the first patient diagnosed with Mpox whose death has been recorded in Euskadi.
The infection was acquired inside the hospital. The other patient had initially been admitted with an ear, nose and throat condition. After doctors diagnosed him with Mpox, they discharged him because his condition was stable and he could isolate at home without further hospital care. Basque health authorities said more than 30 people were placed under observation for 21 days after the incident, including relatives and hospital staff, along with others who may have had close contact.
The Basque Department of Health and Osakidetza confirmed that both patients had stayed in the same room before doctors found the infection. Miguel Ángel Goenaga, head of Infectious Diseases at Hospital Donostia, said the medical team could not provide further details because of its confidentiality duties toward the patient and his family.
Doctors confirmed that the deceased had Mpox. The unresolved question is how much the infection contributed to his death alongside his pre-existing conditions.
Goenaga said Mpox usually has a very low mortality rate. The risk rises when a patient's defences are severely weakened, since any infection can worsen an already fragile condition. He put mortality in the rest of the world below 5% and said this was the first known death in Euskadi.
Osakidetza said transmission between hospitalised patients is considered unusual because Mpox generally spreads through close physical contact. Hospital officials said further infections linked to the incident were unlikely.
The case differs from the transport failure described in an earlier disruption report. Both incidents affected people who depended on an impressive public service, but here the risk came from a shared hospital room and the exposed patient's health.
Mpox can cause fever and muscle pain, along with swollen lymph nodes; rashes often appear on the face and hands. The illness is usually mild, yet it can cause serious complications in immunocompromised people. Pregnant women and children are also at risk. Spain's Ministry of Health had confirmed 9,375 cases across 17 autonomous communities from the outbreak's start in April 2022 through January 2026.
Spain recorded 791 infections in 2025. Most involved men, and close contact during sexual relations was the basic identified transmission route. Cases have continued to appear in 2026, but the Ministry of Health does not consider the risk to the general population to have increased. Galicia has reported 12 cases this year, all mild. Vaccination remains recommended for certain risk groups and close contacts.
Reports have described the Donostia case as the third Mpox-related death reported in Spain in 2026. The two earlier deaths involved patients living with HIV. The figure has been reported without reference to a national official registry and remains unconfirmed by Spain's Ministry of Health. Reports also differ on whether the patient had a specific cancer diagnosis. Official comments have referred more generally to extremely serious underlying illnesses.
The available facts show a serious hospital-acquired infection in a patient with major pre-existing disease, while the direct cause of death remains unresolved. The Basque Department of Health and Osakidetza have confirmed the in-hospital transmission, but the available medical information does not establish Mpox as the sole cause of death.
