Germany today confirmed the first case of the new mpox variant-Telangana

The RKI said it believes that the available vaccines are effective against Clade I. Mpox, caused by an orthopox virus, previously occurred in West and Central Africa.

Berlin: Germany has detected its first case of the new Clade Ib variant of the mpox virus, with no related deaths reported, the country’s top public health authority, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), announced.

“The RKI currently assesses the risk for the general population in Germany as low. However, the institute continues to monitor the situation closely and will adjust its assessment if necessary based on the latest available information,” the institute said on its website on Tuesday.

The institute explained that the current risk assessment is due to the fact that “close physical contact is required” for MPox transmission. It did not provide details on when the infection was identified, nor on the identity of patient zero, Xinhua news agency reported.

The RKI said it believes that the available vaccines are effective against Clade I. Mpox, caused by an orthopox virus, previously occurred in West and Central Africa.

Since spring 2022, cases began to emerge in Europe without direct links to those regions. Infections with another strand of the mpox virus, Clade IIb, have also been reported in Germany and other countries, with the first case of the Clade Ib mpox variant outside the African continent confirmed in Sweden in mid-August.

In August, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, reactivating the highest level of global alert for mpox for the second time in two years.