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Monkey pox under the microscope
Photo: Niaid / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO
So far, 2,677 people have been infected with monkeypox in Germany.
So far, it has mainly been men who have sex with men who have been affected.
But experts warn that it could only be a matter of time before the disease spreads to other groups.
In the meantime, two cases in minors have also been reported.
In the "Survstat" database of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), in which notifiable diseases are listed according to age and sex, among other things, one case each is listed in the 15 and 17 age groups.
The two minors are male.
In the morning, the institute wrote in its assessment of the situation: "So far, only five female cases have been reported in Germany, and no cases have been reported in children." - and 17-year-olds affected only became known in the afternoon.
The RKI does not comment on individual cases, it said.
Since the current outbreak began in the spring of this year, those affected and experts have repeatedly warned against stigmatization of gay communities.
Just because this group is currently mostly affected by the infections does not mean that other population groups cannot also become infected.
Monkeypox is transmitted through close physical contact and can also survive on surfaces for some time.
Although viral components have also been detected in semen, it is not yet clear whether it is also sexually transmittable.
The first four fatalities outside of Africa became known over the weekend.
In Brazil, India and Spain, people had died as a result of their monkeypox infection.
In three of the four cases, the cause was encephalitis, they suffered from previous illnesses.
In the fourth case, the cause and possible previous illnesses are not yet known.
In view of the spread of monkeypox, the governor of the US state of New York declared a state of emergency.
San Francisco declared a state of emergency last week.
Usually mild infection
Monkeypox is a viral infection that is usually mild.
Symptoms include fever, headache, and skin rashes, which usually start on the face and spread to the rest of the body.
The disease has been spreading worldwide since early May.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the highest alert level in connection with the global health emergency on July 23.
As of the most recent count, there have been nearly 23,000 cases of monkeypox worldwide.
Europe is particularly affected with more than 14,000 cases.
According to WHO information, about eight percent of patients in Europe have come to the hospital, mostly because of severe pain or additional infections.
In general, the mortality rate for the variant currently circulating in Europe is estimated to be low.
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