Dresden (dpa / sn) - The Saxon Vaccination Commission (Siko) recommends a possible vaccination against monkeypox only for special risk groups. As the Saxon State Medical Association announced on Wednesday, vaccination is only recommended if there is insufficient protection against smallpox and for people with immune diseases. It makes sense to be vaccinated up to five days after a risky contact. Siko assumes that there is adequate protection with at least two documented vaccinations against smallpox. Even if there are still no reliable statements about the availability of a vaccine in Germany, Siko decided to make a recommendation at an early stage, it said.
Monkeypox is considered a less serious disease compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980. According to the RKI, the pathogen is usually transmitted from person to person through close physical contact. On Wednesday morning, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) was aware of 113 cases across Germany.
