Germany’s disease control agency the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced on Tuesday that an infection that was contracted abroad had been detected in the country.
The RKI said that, despite the detection, it did not believe there was now a greater risk to the wider population.
What the RKI said
“The RKI does not currently assume an increased risk from clade I viruses in Germany, but is monitoring the situation very closely and will adapt its recommendations if necessary,” the institute said on its website.
“Close physical contact is required” for mpox to be transmitted the agency stressed. The RKI did not provide any further details on when and in whom the first infection occurred.
It said that are assumed to be effective against clade I viruses.
Infections from another strand of the virus, clade IIb, have been detected in a number of countries including Germany since May 2022.
What we know about new mpox strain
The (WHO) for the second time in two years in August.
That came after an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the new variant emerged, spread to neighboring countries.
According to the WHO, clade Ib is believed to be more contagious and more dangerous than previous mpox variants that have been seen in Germany. However, public health experts warn that there is still too little reliable data on the variant to be certain.
The first case of the clade Ib mpox variant outside the African continent was confirmed .
Mpox symptoms include a typical rash and as well as possible fever, headache and muscle pain. Fatal cases are rare, especially in countries with good healthcare systems.
rc/wmr (dpa, AFP)
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