But not a carefree summer? The WHO advises that visitors to festivals and celebrations should protect themselves against monkeypox transmission. Corona-like measures at the population level should not be necessary.
The Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO) sees the risk of a further spread of monkeypox at upcoming festivals and large parties. “The potential for further transmission in Europe and elsewhere in the summer is high,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge in a statement. Festivals and celebrations in the coming months would also offer the opportunity to raise awareness of the disease among young, sexually active and mobile people and to strengthen protective behavior.
According to Kluge, investigations into the previous cases suggest that the outbreak in the region was already underway in mid-April. It is the largest and most geographically widespread monkeypox outbreak ever reported outside of the endemic areas of West and Central Africa.
Kluge advocates the isolation of infected people
In connection with the lifting of corona measures that had restricted travel and major events, there was rapid, increased transmission. Even if many previous cases are linked to sexual activity, one should not forget that the virus can affect anyone.
According to Kluge, since the virus does not spread in the same way as Sars-CoV-2, current knowledge does not require such comprehensive measures at the population level as with Corona. “But – and this is important – we do not yet know whether we can completely contain its spread,” it said. In order to achieve this, infections would have to be reduced through clear communication, isolation of infected people and effective contact tracing.
Already 33 cases of monkeypox in Germany
In the course of the unusual outbreak in several countries, monkeypox is also increasingly being detected in patients in Germany. The number of confirmed cases already reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) rose from 21 on Monday to 33, as the RKI wrote on its website on Tuesday. In addition to those affected from Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt, an additional case in Hamburg became known on Tuesday.
