Germany has reported its first instance of the new Mpox variant, according to the Robert Koch Institute for public health. The institute assessed the risk posed to the general population as minimal. The individual in question is a 33-year-old male who was placed in isolation following his hospitalization for treatment on October 12, as noted by the health ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia.
This case was identified in Cologne, as mentioned in the ministry’s announcement. Further testing results, released on October 18, confirmed that the patient carries the clade 1b variant—a new strain of the virus associated with a global health emergency announced by the World Health Organization in August.
This latest outbreak originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has spread to surrounding nations. The individual in Germany is believed to have contracted the virus while in an East African country, as indicated by the state ministry.
“The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) currently assesses the risk to public health in Germany as low,” the RKI stated, emphasizing that it is closely monitoring the situation and will revise its evaluation if needed.
They highlighted that transmission requires direct physical contact. The first indication of the virus spreading beyond Africa emerged on August 15, when international health authorities confirmed an infection involving a new strain of the Mpox virus in Sweden.
Additionally, two patients in Norway have been identified with the clade 2 variant of the Mpox virus, as reported by the municipality of Oslo on Tuesday. Clade 2 is considered to be a milder form of Mpox compared to the clade 1b strain.
