Monkeypox case confirmed in Bavaria - Patient isolated in Munich Schwabing Clinic - Bavaria's Health Minister: Precautions against infections have been taken

A case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Munich. Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek this out on Friday. The patient comes from Brazil and is already isolated in the Munich Clinic Schwabing. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), this is the first case of monkeypox in Germany. The general risk of infection for the population in Bavaria is currently considered low by the RKI and the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL).

Holetschek emphasized:

“The Bavarian Ministry of Health is in close contact with the clinic and the RKI. The health department of the city of Munich is currently identifying further close contact persons. They are explained in detail and informed about possible symptoms, hygiene measures and transmission routes. The LGL Infectious Diseases Task Force is also already involved. All health authorities in Bavaria will be informed in detail today.”

After the man noticed the first symptoms, he immediately went for a medical examination on his own. The specific diagnosis was initiated immediately and the health department was informed based on the suspicion and the symptoms were now typical. A special PCR test carried out by the Bundeswehr confirmed that the patient was infected with the virus. Whether it is the West or Central African virus strain will be determined by ongoing sequencing, probably by the middle of next week.

It is a 26-year-old man who entered Germany from Portugal via Spain and has been in Munich for about a week. Before arriving in Munich he was in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

Munich's health officer Beatrix Zurek explained:

“After becoming aware of the suspected case through reporting to the practice, we immediately contacted the person affected and investigated close contacts and initiated further measures such as isolating the sick person. The further investigations and measures by the health department of the state capital of Munich take place in close coordination with the Munich Clinic, the LMU Tropical Institute and with experts at the state and federal level.

Care takes place isolated from the rest of the clinic in the infectious disease department of the Munich Clinic Schwabing. The disease must be reported. The virus has currently been detected in several countries and suspected cases are being examined. There have been reports and suspected cases on three continents so far.

Prof. Christian Weidner , President of the LGL, emphasized:

“In principle, infection from person to person is possible, but is usually only likely through intensive physical contact. Medical staff in particular should still adhere to the usual protective measures against droplet and smear infections when in contact with suspected cases or infected people.”

Prof. Weidner added:

“If you are infected with the monkeypox virus, it can take 7 to 21 days for the first symptoms to appear. Those affected then suffer from fever, headaches, muscle and back pain, and swelling of the lymph nodes and a widespread skin rash can also occur. The skin changes usually start on the face, resemble a smallpox rash, and then spread further down the body.”

Prof. Clemens Wendtner , chief physician of Schwabing Infectious Diseases, explained:

“The young man is doing well – he has minor symptoms with mild difficulty swallowing and an elevated temperature. The pustules typical of the disease cause corresponding itching. He currently does not require any special medication. A special preparation, which has been approved for treatment in the EU since the beginning of 2022, is being procured preventively by the Munich Clinic's hospital pharmacy.

Prof. Wendtner added:

“The young man very responsibly sought medical care immediately after symptoms began in order to protect others from infection. That’s why he’s still staying with us, as we assume he’ll be infectious for three to four weeks.”

Further information about the monkeypox virus can be found at www.lgl.bayern.de/gesundheit/kritiksschutz/infection diseases_a_z/affenpocken/index.htm and at www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/A/Affenpocken/Affenpocken.html .

Source: Press release from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care from May 20, 2022 )

Mimikama: Media Panic

Quite suddenly, several cases of monkeypox infections appear to have appeared in Great Britain, Lisbon and Madrid.
At first glance, this seems worrying, and many media outlets are fueling this by writing about “virus alarm” and “doctors on alert,” thus suggesting that a new, dangerous pandemic is heading our way. But in principle, doctors should only pay attention to whether these symptoms appear in patients so that they are not carelessly confused with a normal skin rash and are treated correctly.

To the credit of most media, the articles themselves mostly write objectively about the monkeypox virus, but unfortunately many users don't even read an article or just skim it, instead judging by the teaser on social media - and that's often how it is designed to sound like scaremongering. [ Continue reading ]


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