The number of monkeypox cases in Europe now seems to be declining slightly. With an order of more than 170,000 vaccine doses, the EU wants to continue to contain the disease in the future. Prepare yourself for “what could come,” said EU Health Commissioner Kyriakides.
The European Union has secured an additional 170,920 doses of monkeypox vaccine. “Although fortunately we are seeing downward trends, we will not stop preparing for what may be to come,” said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in Prague. Overall, the new EU authority Hera has now secured more than 330,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine from the company Bavarian Nordic to prevent health crises. According to the EU Commission, the new cans should be able to be delivered before the end of the year.
The first case of monkeypox in a small child was confirmed in Germany on Tuesday. “At the beginning of September, a monkeypox infection in a child became known, which is currently being investigated,” writes the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in its assessment of the situation. The exact age of the child was not given for reasons of privacy protection – but it was younger than three. Typical skin changes were found on him. An infection within the family is suspected because the child is not yet going to kindergarten. It is now in quarantine with its family.
The vast majority of the more than 3,500 patients recorded nationwide are adult men. “So far, only 14 female cases and three cases in male adolescents in Germany have been reported,” notes the RKI. Experts have been emphasizing for some time that anyone who comes into close contact with an infected person can become infected with the pathogen – even if, according to the RKI, transmission has so far primarily occurred in the context of sexual activities. Since the beginning of August, the number of cases sent to the institute every week has fallen slightly.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency in July because of monkeypox. According to WHO chief Ghebreyesus, there are signs of positive development in several regions of the world. A “significant slowdown in the outbreak” can be observed not only in Germany, but also in the Netherlands and other European countries, said Ghebreyesus. In Canada, the number of new infections in Canada is “continuously” falling.
