A travel warning has been issued for Germany after a highly infectious strain of a potentially deadly virus was detected there for the first time. Travellers have been urged to “take extra precautions” when visiting the country after a case of the clade Ib variant of mpox was confirmed.
Germany’s disease control centre, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), said the risk to the wider population was low but it “is monitoring the situation very closely and adjusting its recommendations if necessary”. According to health bosses, the affected person was infected abroad but no other details were given.
The outbreak of this strain is thought to have started in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa, where 5,399 cases and 25 deaths have been reported in the first nine months of 2024.
It has since spread to other parts of the continent where the number of suspected cases of mpox this year now stands at 42,438, with 8,113 confirmed, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
And at least 1,000 mpox deaths have been reported in Africa, leading the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a global health emergency for the second time in two years. Other cases of clade Ib have also been reported in Sweden, Thailand and India.
In response to the confirmed case in Germany, Travel Health Pro, urged travellers to take precautions. It warned that it can be spread between people through:
- Direct contact with rash, skin lesions or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or other skin-to-skin contact)
- Contact with bodily fluids such as saliva, snot or mucus
- Contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) or other objects and surfaces used by someone with mpox.
It added: “It is possible that clade I mpox may spread between people through close and prolonged face-to-face contact such as talking, breathing, coughing, or sneezing close to one another. However, there is currently limited evidence so this will be updated as new information is available.”
To therefore limit your risk of mpox, which was formerly known as monkeypox, while travelling you should:
- Avoid contact (including sexual contact) with anyone who is unwell or has an unusual rash
- Wash hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60 percent alcohol. Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. If you touch your face, make sure your hands are clean
- Talk to sexual partners about their sexual and general health and ask if they have any symptoms
- Before you have sex, go to a party or event, check yourself for mpox symptoms, including rashes and blisters. If you have mpox symptoms, take a break from attending events or having sex until you’ve been assessed by a health professional
- It can take up to three weeks for symptoms to appear after having contact with someone with mpox, so stay alert for symptoms after you have skin to skin or sexual contact with someone new
- Everyone is encouraged to exchange contact details with sexual partners, to help stop further mpox spread when cases occur
- Avoid touching items such as bedding/clothing and do not share eating utensils/cups, food or drink with anyone who has symptoms or has mpox
- Avoid contact with animals, especially rodents
- Do not eat, cook or prepare any type of raw or wild meat (bushmeat) or any meat from unknown sources.
Symptoms
If you get infected with mpox, it usually takes between five and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear, the NHS says.
The first symptoms of mpox include:
- A high temperature (fever)
- A headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering (chills)
- Exhaustion
- Joint pain.
A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. It can be on any part of the body, including the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, mouth, genitals and anus. You may also have anal pain or bleeding from your bottom.
The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into sores (ulcers) or small blisters filled with fluid. The blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.
The NHS says you should call 111 if:
- You have a rash with blisters or sores (ulcers) and you’ve been to central or east Africa in the past three weeks
- You have a rash with blisters or sores (ulcers) and you’ve been in close contact (including sexual contact) with someone who has symptoms of mpox and they’ve been to central or east Africa in the past three weeks
- You have any other symptoms of mpox and you’ve been to central or east Africa in the past three weeks and had close contact with someone who had symptoms of mpox.
The health body adds: “Stay at home and avoid close contact with other people, including sharing towels or bedding, until you’ve been told what to do.”