In Catalonia, 40 outbreaks of the “slap virus”, contagious but not serious, have been identified in two months.

Although only one outbreak with four victims was detected in Catalonia in the whole of 2023, in 2024 the number of outbreaks has risen to 40 and the number of people sickened is already 153 , according to the Catalan Public Health Agency. In addition, all 2024 cases were reported between April 8 and June 9, the agency said.

Despite the increase in the number of people infected, there have been no complications among those affected and no fatalities have been reported.

The outbreaks reported this year occurred almost entirely in schools (22 in elementary schools, 14 in preschools and three in kindergartens), and only one occurred in a family.