Hesse: No monkeypox cases have been reported since mid-October

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Only a few cases of monkeypox have been registered in Hesse in the past few months.

Hesse: No monkeypox cases have been reported since mid-October

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Only a few cases of monkeypox have been registered in Hesse in the past few months. From August, only single-digit numbers were reported, and from mid-October no new cases were reported at all, the Ministry of Health in Wiesbaden said at the request of the German Press Agency. A total of 214 cases of infection have been reported in the current year.

Monkeypox is considered a less serious disease compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the incubation period is 5 to 21 days. Symptoms such as fever and skin rash usually disappear within a few weeks. However, the disease can cause medical complications and, in very rare cases, death in some people.

"So far, no deaths have been registered in Hesse," said the spokesman for the ministry. The RKI continues to assess the risk to the health of the general population in Germany as low. Vaccination options are available in the Hessian districts and urban districts if necessary. The responsible health authorities will provide information about the vaccination centers.

There is no precise information on the number of vaccinations against monkeypox. Vaccination would be counted by voluntary reporting and not reported by all vaccination centers. According to the health department in Frankfurt am Main, for example, 2,950 vaccinations against monkeypox were carried out in the city this year.