Münster (dpa / lnw) – Another monkeypox infection was confirmed in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday. The University Hospital Münster (UKM) reported a case of monkeypox confirmed by a PCR test to the city’s health department, the city of Münster announced on Friday evening.
A 34-year-old from Munster presented himself with symptoms to the family doctor on Friday, who referred him to the UKM. There the laboratory confirmed the infection and sent a sample to the Robert Koch Institute.
There are now a total of six confirmed cases of monkeypox in NRW. The disease was diagnosed in three men aged 36 to 45 in Cologne last Tuesday, and the city of Düsseldorf reported two more cases on Friday. There is another suspicion of a monkeypox infection in Aachen. According to a spokesman for the city region, the result of the laboratory tests was still pending on Friday.
The patient who is now being treated in Münster has been admitted to the hospital and is doing well given the circumstances. “It is a person with exposure in other European countries,” the city’s statement said.
A week ago, a case of monkeypox was confirmed for the first time in Germany in Munich. The virus usually causes quite mild symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle pain or skin rash, but can also have severe courses. It is mainly transmitted via direct contact or contact with contaminated materials. A – probably very rare – transmission via droplets in the air is possible over shorter distances. Infected and close contacts are subject to a 21-day quarantine.
