No new cases of Mpox (monkeypox) have been reported in Berlin for more than a month. The most recent case was transmitted to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in the week ending November 13, the Senate Department for Health announced on request. “Assuming that all doctors and laboratories comply with the legal obligation to report, no further cases have been diagnosed in Berlin since then.” In total, almost 1,670 Mpox diseases have been diagnosed in the capital since the outbreak began in May – more than in any other city Federal State.
At times, 200 and more sick people per week were reported in Berlin. The values had already fallen significantly in the autumn. In view of the many closed medical practices and the assumed delay in reporting, it will probably only become clearer in the new year whether there were no new illnesses over the Christmas holidays.
As recently published data from the RKI show, almost half of the Mpox vaccinations recorded in Germany so far have been administered in Berlin. More than 22,600 vaccinations were counted in the capital from June to November, which is around 45 percent of what is happening nationwide. Many other federal states only have two or low three-digit numbers.
Sufficient vaccine is now available
According to RKI data, around three quarters of the more than 50,000 vaccinations administered in Germany were primary vaccinations. Only in November did the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) call on vulnerable groups to also take the second vaccination needed for long-term protection. After an initial shortage, there is now enough vaccine in the country. According to the RKI report, just over 4,000 vaccinations were administered in Berlin in November – a similarly high level as in August and September.
However, can the more than 260,000 Mpox vaccine doses that Stiko said were available nationwide in November be used up? In view of the number of vaccinations to date and the apparently declining incidence of infection, this seems questionable. The Stiko assessed the outbreak in November as not yet over. It is also unclear whether the disease can still be eradicated outside of Africa. An increase in the number of cases, also due to importations after infection abroad, currently seems possible at any time.
A study had shown that in the early phase of the outbreak, a large number of those affected in Berlin apparently brought the infection with them from travel, for example from a pride event in Gran Canaria. The eruption from Berlin then picked up speed.
“In this outbreak, the transmissions primarily took place in the context of sexual activities, especially among men who have sexual contact with other men,” writes the RKI. Most of those affected did not become seriously ill. There have been a few deaths abroad.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently renamed monkeypox to Mpox, but both names would still be used in a one-year transitional period. As a reason, the WHO referred to racist and stigmatizing use of the name in the wake of the outbreak. The disease got its original name only because it was first discovered in monkeys in 1958. But monkeys have nothing to do with the 2022 outbreak. Rather, people become infected through close physical contact with other people. (dpa)
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