The number of cases of monkeypox reported worldwide is increasing. Many cases are mild, but complications can also occur.

Twelve people are under medical surveillance in Thailand after coming into contact with a monkeypox patient.

The confirmed case was a passenger transiting from Europe to Australia who stayed at Bangkok airport for two hours, confirmed Chakkrarat Pitthaya, director of the epidemiology division of the agency for disease control.

The man had no symptoms at that time and only developed them later in Australia, where the infection was then confirmed, it said. All twelve contacts have so far been asymptomatic. These were passengers and flight attendants. They should be medically observed for a total of 21 days. However, the risk that they would have been infected is low, according to Pitthaya.

So far 21 cases in Germany

Other cases in Germany have also been reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in the past few days. It put the number of people affected on its website on Monday at 21. The evidence comes from Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt. The RKI was aware of 16 cases of the virus infection on Friday.

According to the RKI, what is special about the cases is that the patients had not previously traveled to countries in Africa where monkeypox is endemic. In addition, many transmissions could apparently have happened in the context of sexual activities. “As far as is known, most of those affected do not become seriously ill,” it said.

Infections with the virus are now being reported from more and more countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) called for a follow-up of all contacts of those affected. According to the British health authority UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the virus disease usually causes only mild symptoms, but can also have severe courses. Only symptomatic patients with close contact are contagious.