2024-08-18 13:59:44
The outbreak of the Mpox virus in Africa is causing concern among experts. The first European has been infected in Sweden. Health Minister Lauterbach is now reacting to the situation regarding the new virus variant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has activated its highest alert level because of the new variant of the Mpox virus in Africa. It has declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” (PHEIC). One day later, the first infected person in Europe was discovered in Sweden. The infected person contracted the virus during a stay in an African region. Nevertheless, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) does not yet see any pressure for Germany to act.
“Mpox do not currently pose a great danger to our population,” Lauterbach said in response to a query from t-online. The case in Sweden does not change the risk assessment for Germany and Europe, said the SPD politician. He justified this by saying that it is a virus variant that has so far only been endemic in parts of Central Africa, i.e. locally limited.
The new variant of the virus was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo and later in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya. The African health authority CDC has so far reported 14,000 suspected cases and over 500 deaths this year. Experts suspect that the number of unreported cases is significantly higher because not enough testing is being done.
The viral disease causes mild symptoms in most cases, but can also be severe. Mpox can be fatal, especially for children. The infection often begins with a rash that can spread from the face to the entire body. Red spots then turn into red, fluid-filled bumps. Those affected also often suffer from accompanying symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle pain and swollen lymph nodes. According to the WHO, the new variant of the disease could be more contagious than previous subtypes and also cause more severe disease progression.
Lauterbach bases his assessment on previous experience with the virus. “Germany successfully got the first outbreak of the Mpox variant under control in 2022. Nevertheless, we continue to monitor the situation closely and are prepared if the situation changes,” he says.
In May 2022, cases of an earlier Mpox variant had already occurred in Germany. Since then, 3,800 cases have been reported to the RKI, and no deaths are known.
There is a vaccination against Mpox. It offers a high level of protection against infection and also greatly reduces the risk of a serious course of the disease if infection occurs. However, there is currently no general vaccination recommendation, only for risk groups. You can read more about the vaccination here.
The federal government procured the Jynneos vaccine in 2022. The Ministry of Health reports that some federal states still have stocks of it. Around 117,000 vaccine doses remain with the federal government. There are no plans for further central procurement.