German Health Minister Says Mpox Currently Poses ‘No Great Danger’.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Friday there is currently no cause for concern after the first European case of a new variant of mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – was reported in Sweden.
“Mpox currently poses no great danger to our population,” the minister said in Berlin, two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency following the emergence of the new strain, or clade.
The Swedish case does not change this risk assessment for Germany and Europe, he argued, as the new strain has so far only been endemic in parts of central Africa.
According to the German Centre for Infection Research definition, diseases are considered endemic if they occur in a specific region or population on a permanent basis. The Swedish patient with mpox recently returned from Africa.
“Germany successfully contained the first outbreak of the first mpox variant in 2022. Nevertheless, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely and are prepared in case the situation changes,” said Lauterbach.
Some German states still have mpox vaccines from 2022 in stock, the Health Ministry said, while the German government has around 117,000 doses.
Further centralized procurement is not currently planned.
Source: German News Service.
