Germany confirms first case of new mpox variant

Berlin, Oct 23 (IANS) Germany has detected its first case of the new Clade Ib variant of the mpox virus, with no related deaths reported, the country's leading public health authority, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced.

"The RKI currently assesses the risk to the general population in Germany as low. However, the institute continues to monitor the situation closely and will adjust its assessment based on the latest available information, if necessary," the institute said on its website on Tuesday.

The institute explained that the current risk assessment is due to the fact that "close physical contact is required" for mpox transmission. It did not provide details on when the infection was identified nor the identity of patient zero, Xinhua news agency reported.

The RKI said it assumes that the available vaccines are effective against Clade I.

Mpox, caused by an orthopox virus, was previously prevalent in West and Central Africa. Since the spring of 2022, cases began emerging in Europe without direct links to those regions. Infections from another strand of the mpox virus, Clade IIb, have also been reported in Germany and other countries, with the first case of the Clade Ib mpox variant outside the African continent confirmed in Sweden in mid-August.

In August, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, reactivating its highest level of global alert for mpox for the second time in two years.