Germany announced its first case of the new Mpox variant, Clade Ib on Tuesday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Public Health. The case involves a 33-year-old man who was hospitalized on October 18 after contracting the virus abroad. He is currently in isolation and receiving treatment.
Citing an August 16, 2024, risk assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control which had then deemed the risk to European populations of contracting the virus as low, the Institute said that it is keeping a careful eye on the situation and would modify its assessment if needed.
Vaccines are also expected to be effective against Clade I variants, which are transmitted through direct physical contact, the institute said.
The Clade Ib variant first emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is a more dangerous strain than the one responsible for the 2022 global outbreak. This is the second European case of Clade Ib, following Sweden’s first report in August.
In response to the growing threat, the World Health Organization and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in August.