Found in Munich: First case of monkeypox confirmed in Germany – Lauterbach comments
Created: 05/20/2022, 12:56 p.m
By: Martina Lippl
This electron micrograph provided by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) shows the monkeypox virus.
Four more cases have been recorded in the UK.
© Andrea Männel/RKI/dpa
The Bundeswehr confirms a first case of monkeypox in Germany in Munich.
Health Minister Lauterbach expresses himself directly with an assessment.
Munich – Cases of monkeypox are increasing in Europe and North America.
Now there is also a case of monkeypox in Germany.
This is reported by the Bundeswehr.
As the Bundeswehr Institute for Microbiology announced on Friday in Munich, the virus was unequivocally detected in a patient on Thursday.
The patient showed the characteristic skin changes.
The institute did not initially give any further details.
"It was only a matter of time before monkeypox was also detected in Germany," said Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach in Berlin on Friday, as reported by the afp news agency.
Lauterbach assumes that the outbreak can be contained.
Monkeypox: First case confirmed in Germany and found in Munich
"Based on the knowledge available so far, we assume that the virus is not so easily transmitted and that this outbreak can be contained," emphasized the Minister of Health.
“But that can only succeed if you act quickly.” The virus is now being analyzed more closely and it is being checked whether it could be a more contagious variant.
Cases of monkeypox (Monkeypox) have so far occurred in 11 countries (as of May 20, 2022)
country | Monkeypox Cases |
|---|---|
Portugal | 5 confirmed monkeypox cases/ 20 suspected cases |
Spain | 7 confirmed monkeypox cases |
Canada | 2 confirmed cases of monkeypox/20 suspected cases |
Great Britain | 9 confirmed monkeypox cases |
Italy | 1 |
Belgium | 2 confirmed monkeypox cases |
France | 1 |
Germany | 1 |
USA | 1 |
Australia | 1 |
Sweden | 1 |
Monkeypox in Germany/Munich: More and more cases are known
For experts, it was only a matter of time before there would be evidence of monkeypox in Germany.
"I would be surprised if we didn't find some infected people in Germany in a few days," said the President of the German STI Society Norbert Brockmeyer of the dpa news agency on Friday.
Based on the large number of cases in other Western countries, the doctor assumes that the virus has been circulating unnoticed for a while, said Brockmeyer: "Who still thinks of smallpox today?" Due to the increased attention to recent reports from Great Britain is now to be expected with a new awareness of infection and thus with increased evidence.
After initial cases in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and France, as well as the US and Canada, reported confirmed and suspected cases.
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RKI on monkeypox in Germany: Consult a doctor if you have symptoms
Typical
symptoms of an infection with monkeypox
according to the RKI:
Fever
Head, muscle and back pain
Swollen lymph nodes
chills
rash
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) only called for vigilance on Thursday.
"In the event of a suspicious clinical picture, a monkeypox infection should be considered, especially in those returning from (West) Africa and, of course, in contact persons of known cases," says the Epidemiological Bulletin (May 19).
And further: monkeypox should also be considered as a possible cause in the case of unclear smallpox-like skin changes if those affected have not traveled to certain areas.
