First detection of monkeypox in Lower Saxony

Created: 05/31/2022Updated: 05/31/2022 17:52

A nurse performs a PCR test to detect monkeypox virus in the hospital.

© Carlos Luján/EUROPA PRESS/dpa/symbol image

A case of monkeypox has also been detected for the first time in Lower Saxony.

The result was confirmed in the laboratory of the State Health Office, the authority in Hanover announced on Tuesday.

The sick person was a returnee from Spain.

Hanover – The district of Northeim, where the patient lives, has taken protective measures for the person concerned and is now tracing contacts in the patient's environment.

The health authorities of the city and the district of Göttingen are also involved.

A doctor's office based there had initiated the investigation.

The first proven case in Germany was reported from Bavaria in mid-May.

Several other federal states have now reported evidence of the infectious disease.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Human-to-human transmission is rare, but possible with very close contact.

At the beginning of May, a monkeypox case was detected in Great Britain - according to experts, the pathogen was probably already circulating in many countries.

According to health authorities, the virus usually causes only mild symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain and skin rash.

However, monkeypox can also have severe courses, and fatal illnesses are possible in individual cases.

The consequences of surviving an infection can be scarring and, rarely, blindness.

dpa