In recent days, more and more countries have been reporting monkeypox infections. To date, 108 (suspected) cases have been reported in ten countries outside Africa. The situation is “unusually dynamic”, the internist and infection immunologist at the Berlin Charité, Leif Erik Sander, said, but they were “prepared”. The local health authorities are preparing for possible cases.
The researcher assumes that the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming period. This is mainly due to the long incubation period, ie the time it takes for an infection to become a disease.
Given that this is quite a long time between seven and 21 days, he expects there will be a “further significant increase in business,” he explained via Twitter. A disease therefore goes unnoticed for a long time.
No case in Austria yet
As it became known on Friday, the diseases are now also spreading to Australia. There, an infection was confirmed in an approximately 30-year-old traveler returning from Britain. In Austria, however, according to the Ministry of Health, there is not yet a known case of the virus disease that has already been detected in several European countries. The contact tracing should be ready at least early next week.
It seems only a matter of time before smallpox will actually appear in this country. For example, the German doctor Norbert Brockmeyer calculates that the virus has been circulating unnoticed for some time.
“There should be no hysteria”
According to the current state of knowledge, those people who have sexual contact with many different people are most at risk. In principle, the virus can also be transmitted through close physical contact. Caution is therefore advised, explains Brockmeyer: “But there should be no hysteria. The monkey pox will be easy to fight.”
Depending on further developments, however, the return of the smallpox vaccination could be considered, according to the chairman of the German STI association. According to AGES, vaccination against smallpox, which lasts for life, also protects against monkeypox. Thanks to the vaccination, the WHO was finally able to declare smallpox eradicated, and the smallpox vaccination was also abolished in Austria in 1981.
Probably not a new pandemic
Sander does not believe that another widespread pandemic will break out around the world after Corona. After all, monkeypox is not as contagious as the coronavirus, he drew the direct comparison. The virus should be taken “very seriously”, but people were “prepared” for a possible outbreak, he explained, without giving further details.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
