Germany Identifys First Case Of New Monkeypox Variant

JAKARTA - Germany has detected the first case of a new variant of mpox (masspoke), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said for public health on Tuesday, adding it views the risk to a wider population as low.

The patient is a 33-year-old man who was isolated after being hospitalized on October 12, the health ministry said in North Rhine-Westfalen State.

The case was detected in Cologne, the ministry said in a statement.

The more detailed test results showed on October 18, the patient had a 1b klade variant, a new form of the virus associated with a global health emergency announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August.

Patients in Germany are suspected of having contracted the virus in eastern African countries, the country's ministry said.

"Currently, RKI considers the risk to general public health in Germany low," said RKI, adding that it is monitoring the situation carefully and will adjust its assessment if necessary.

RKI noted that close physical contact is needed for transmission.

The monkeypox outbreak currently originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has spread to neighboring countries.

The first sign of the spread of the virus outside Africa emerged on August 15, when global health officials confirmed infections with a new strain of thempox virus in Sweden.

Two patients in Norway have been diagnosed with the type of Mpox klade 2 virus, the Oslo City Government said on Tuesday. Klade 2 is a form ofmpox that is not too severe compared to the type of klade 1b.

Apart from the Democratic Republics of Congo, Germany and Sweden, cases of new variants of monkeypox were also confirmed in Thailand, India, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.