The 26-year-old Brazilian who is the first infected with monkeypox registered in Germany is doing well, according to the hospital in Munich where he is hospitalized. “The patient remains well, he has relatively few symptoms,” said Clemens Wendtner, chief physician of the infectology sector at München Klinik Schwabing, according to a report published this Sunday (22) by the TZ newspaper. “He has skin lesions in several places, but he doesn’t have a fever and he doesn’t suffer from shortness of breath,” said the specialist.
The boy is accommodated in a single room, in isolation. “In the patient’s room, the pressure is negative, so that no air can escape to the outside in an uncontrolled way. The exhaust air is also filtered by a virus-proof filter system,” the doctor told the publication.
The health authorities of the state of Bavaria reported on Saturday that the Brazilian has the West African virus variant, considered milder.
Only on Friday was the case made public. The boy arrived in the country after a trip from Portugal, passing through Spain. He had been in Munich for a week, in southern Germany, where he arrived after passing through Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.
Two more cases in Berlin
City authorities in Berlin confirmed on Saturday two cases in the German capital. Regional health officials said an analysis was under way to determine whether the cases detected in the city are of the strain of the virus originating in West Africa or Central Africa.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German government agency for the control and prevention of infectious diseases, the Central African monkeypox virus variants are significantly more contagious than the West African variants.
The Berlin regional government announced that the condition of those infected is “stable”, but stressed that it is possible “that new infections will be recorded in the coming days”.
Dynamics are “unusual”
Leif Erik Sander, an infectious disease specialist at the Charité university hospital in Berlin, warns that the current outbreak of monkeypox should be taken very seriously because the dynamics are “unusual”.
According to the expert, the chains of infections and transmission routes must be better investigated and effectively interrupted. “So far, we’ve seen a disproportionate increase in monkeypox infections among men, especially after sexual contact with other men,” Sander explained. “As the infection is transmitted by close skin contact and possibly also by contact with mucous membranes and droplets, I currently recommend special caution and avoid close, unprotected contact with unknown persons,” he said.
Cases in Switzerland and Israel
Also this Saturday, Switzerland confirmed its first case, in the canton of Bern. The patient apparently came into contact with the virus abroad, according to regional health authorities.
In Israel, the first infection was detected in a 30-year-old man who recently returned from Western Europe with symptoms of the disease, a Tel Aviv hospital said, in what appears to be the first case identified in the Middle East. Greek health authorities reported a suspicious case in an English tourist.
The WHO (World Health Organization) identified until this Saturday about 90 cases globally, and about 30 suspected cases.
Cases of the smallpox-related illness had previously been detected only among people with ties to Central and West Africa.
In recent days, infections have also been reported in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the US, Sweden and Canada, mainly in young men who had not previously traveled to Africa. France, Belgium and Australia have also identified cases.
WHO calls for countermeasures
The WHO said on Saturday night that a series of measures were needed to combat the spread of monkeypox. “Identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in several countries with no history of travel to an endemic area is atypical, therefore, there is an urgent need to raise awareness of monkeypox and carry out comprehensive case searches and isolation.” , said the UN organization in Geneva.
According to the WHO, the cases that have been reported so far in Europe, North America and Australia have mainly affected men who have had sex with same-sex partners and who have visited medical facilities.
However, due to the still limited observation situation, it is very likely that cases will arise in other population groups and countries.
US President Joe Biden said Sunday that the monkeypox outbreak is something “everyone should be concerned about”. On a trip to Asia, the US head of government also said that US health authorities are investigating possible treatments and vaccines.
The smallpox virus usually causes mild symptoms such as a rash, fever, and pustules, but the development can also be severe. From a WHO perspective, travel restrictions or event cancellations in affected countries are not necessary at this time. While the organization pointed out that infections can occur in mass events, it also emphasized that precautionary measures against Covid-19 are also effective against monkeypox.
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