First Mpox case in Germany

The German authorities have confirmed the diagnosis of a patient with the Mpox virus following their return from Africa. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has indicated that it is closely monitoring the situation to prevent the proliferation of cases. It was ascertained that the case in Germany concerns the Mpox clade 1b strain, a variant observed to disseminate extensively in Africa, particularly in the Congo and Burundi. This variant is considered to be more virulent. Following the latest data provided by the ECDC, and despite close travel connections between Europe and Africa, the risk of Mpox transmission within the European continent remains low. In the past few days, a group of scientists has issued a public appeal to wealthy countries to implement measures to prevent the spread of the Mpox virus beyond the African continent.