Germany: 165 Monkeypox Cases Reported in Nine Federal States

The Monkeypox virus is continuing to spread in Germany. According to the Robert Koch Institute’s latest report on the situation, 165 infections have been confirmed by now. Most of those cases were reported in Berlin.

Berlin, June 11th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) — Earlier this week, there were 80 Monkeypox cases in Germany. By now, that number has more than doubled. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) registered 165 infections with the virus that used to spread in West and Central African countries only. Now, it is present in several European countries and in North America.

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Especially in Corona times, another virus is pretty much the last thing the world needs. On the other hand, the experts at the RKI do not seem to be too alarmed. They believe the threat the Monkeypox virus poses to the German public is low, even though the number of infections is rising rapidly right now.

Nine out of sixteen federal states are affected at this stage. They are Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, where the first case was confirmed on May 21st, 2022, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt. Berlin has most Monkeypox cases, by far. On Thursday, 110 infections were reported for the German capital. By now, it has probably increased further. But only 14 Monkeypox patients in Berlin needed to be treated at hospitals.

Containment Easy

Germany’s Permanent Vaccination Commission recommends vaccinations against Monkeypox for members of risk groups. The vaccine Imvanex was approved in the European Union in 2013. According to the RKI, even patients with a weak immune system can be immunized with Imvanex.

At this stage, the Monkeypox mainly spreads among men who had sexual encounters with other men, the RKI says. Most patients do not go through severe disease progressions. There is more good news: Since a transmittal of the virus seems to require close physical contacts, the Monkeypox outbreak can probably be contained relatively easily. Still, Germany is expecting rising infection numbers at this point.

Open Question

Until recently, persons who turned out to be infected with the Monkeypox virus had returned from trips to Central or West African countries before they tested positive. There is no answer to the question why this is not the case anymore.

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