Germany records first case of monkeypox

Follow-up - INA

The German Robert Koch Institute for Health announced today, Tuesday, the confirmation of the first infection in Germany with the new strain of the "Empox" virus, known as monkeypox.

“An infection with the new strain 1b, acquired abroad, has been detected in Germany,” the institute said, adding that “the risk to the health of the population in Germany is low.” The institute, which did not provide details about the patient or the circumstances of the infection, said it was monitoring the situation “closely” and would adjust its recommendations if necessary.

The new epidemic has been affecting Africa for months, with the highest numbers of infections recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Nigeria. Two epidemics are occurring simultaneously, one caused by the 1st branch in central Africa, which mainly affects children, and the other by the new variant, 1b, which affects adults in another region, eastern the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.

The African Union’s health agency confirmed last week that 42,000 cases of “Mbox” have been recorded in Africa since January, and that around 1,100 people have died from the virus. It warned that the epidemic is on its way to becoming “out of control” if measures are not taken to contain it.

Elsewhere in Europe, cases have been reported in Sweden, and others have been recorded in many Asian countries.

A vaccination campaign was launched in early October in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country most affected by the virus in the world.