Monkeypox continues to spread in the Southwest as well. Since the first case in Baden-Württemberg at the end of May, the authorities have now recorded more than 20 infections.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - In Baden-Württemberg, 24 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed so far. As a spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Stuttgart announced, the cases transmitted by Monday come from Stuttgart, Freiburg, Ulm, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and from the districts of Böblingen, Esslingen, Ludwigsburg, Emmendingen, Ortenau, Lörrach, Reutlingen and Ravensburg. Most infections were detected in Stuttgart with six.
The ministry continues to assess the risk to the general public as low. For people with several or frequently changing sex partners, the danger is high. All infections detected so far in the southwest were probably transmitted through sexual contact, the spokesman said.
According to the current state of knowledge, the monkeypox virus is mainly transmitted through close physical contact from person to person. According to the World Health Organization, 99 percent of those affected are men under the age of 65 who have sex with men. In general, however, anyone who has close physical contact with an infected person can become infected.
The first case of monkeypox in the southwest was detected at the end of May and affected a man from the district of Ortenau. It was a travel returnee from Spain. Recently, cases have also become known in people who have not been abroad.
Monkeypox is considered a less serious disease compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980. Experts had warned of the virus spreading, for example at upcoming festivals and parties. According to the RKI, the incubation period is 5 to 21 days. Symptoms (including fever and skin rash, for example) usually go away on their own within a few weeks, but can lead to medical complications and, in very rare cases, death in some people.
