DW An infection with the new mpox variant Ib has been detected for the first time in Germany. The strain has been spreading in several African countries for months. Germany’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), announced on Tuesday that an mpox infection that was contracted abroad had been detected within the country.
Despite the detection, RKI officials do not believe there is now a greater risk to the wider 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 institute said on its website.
“Close physical contact is required” for mpox to be transmitted the agency stressed. The RKI did not provide any further details on when and in whom the first infection occurred.
It said that currently available vaccines are assumed to be effective against clade I viruses.
Infections from another strand of the virus, clade IIb, have been detected in a number of countries including Germany since May 2022.