Germany detects 1st case of new mpox variant

BERLIN

German health authorities on Tuesday confirmed the country's first case of a new, potentially more contagious mpox variant.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said an infection with the new mpox variant, clade 1b, was detected last Friday, and it was understood that the patient had contracted the virus abroad.

“The RKI currently does not assume an increased risk from clade 1 virus in Germany, but it is monitoring the situation very closely and will adapt its recommendations if necessary,” the institute said in a statement.

The clade 1b variant is considered more transmissible than previous mpox strains, according to the World Health Organization.

Mpox is a viral disease, formerly called monkeypox before the WHO changed its name in 2022 over complaints that it was racist and stigmatizing.

The zoonotic disease can be transmitted to humans through close physical contact with an infectious person or small wild animal, or via contaminated materials.

Common symptoms include rashes or lesions, as well as a flu-like fever, head and muscle aches, back pain, general weakness, and swollen lymph nodes.