Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - The number of newly reported cases of monkeypox is falling slightly in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the NRW Ministry of Health, 39 cases were registered in the week from August 15th to 21st. In the week before there were 50 cases, before that 53 cases, as a spokeswoman said at the weekend. The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously reported that the global trend in reported monkeypox cases was also declining. Since the international monkeypox outbreak in May 2022, 746 cases of infection have been reported in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Most recently, a municipal daycare center in Mönchengladbach with 93 children was closed for almost two weeks because a monkeypox infection was found in one of the employees.
So far, 8,640 doses of vaccine have been made available in North Rhine-Westphalia for vaccinations against monkeypox, the ministry said. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) in Germany recommends vaccination against monkeypox for certain risk groups and people who have had close contact with infected people. She sees an increased risk of infection above all in men who have same-sex sexual contacts with changing partners.
