In fact, adult males are primarily affected by monkeypox infections. But the first case of a child has now become known in the southwest.
Berlin/Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a child has been infected with monkeypox for the first time in Germany. The four-year-old lives in a household with two infected adults in Pforzheim. The media had previously reported. Only last week did the RKI become aware of the first infections among young people aged 15 and 17.
According to the Ministry of Health in Baden-Württemberg, the girl has no symptoms of illness. As a precaution, the child was medically examined after a case became known in the household. A throat swab was then diagnosed with monkeypox. There are no other close contacts outside of the household.
In the case of mild illnesses, those affected are isolated at home. This lasts until the scab and crusts have healed, but at least 21 days.
As of August 8, 4 p.m., a total of 127 cases of monkeypox in Baden-Württemberg have been reported to the state health department. The infected are almost exclusively adult males.
According to the RKI, the transmissions take place primarily in the context of sexual activities, currently especially in men who have sexual contact with other men.
Compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980, monkeypox is considered a less serious disease. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the incubation period is 5 to 21 days. Symptoms, which include fever and rash, 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.
