BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The Robert Koch Institute or RKI identified the first case of the new mpox variant in Germany.
The health ministry in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia confirmed that the 33-year-old patient has been isolated after being hospitalized for treatment on October 12, Reuters reports.
Despite this detection, the RKI assured that there is no greater risk of infection among the population in Germany.
'The RKI does not currently assume an increased risk from clade I viruses in Germany, but is monitoring the situation very closely and will adapt its recommendations if necessary,' the disease control agency said on its website.
The state ministry authorities suspect that the patient has contracted the infection in an east African country.
Mpox is caused by a virus that primarily spreads from infected animals to humans but can also be transmitted through close human contact.
Symptoms of monkeypox include rashes, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
These symptoms typically appear within a week of exposure, although they can take up to 21 days in some individuals.
Once symptoms develop, they generally last from 2 to 4 weeks but can persist longer in those with weakened immune systems.
The WHO declared the ongoing mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14.
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