82 registered monkeypox cases in Berlin

A nurse prepares a PCR test to detect monkeypox virus.

The number of registered monkeypox cases in Berlin has continued to rise.

As reported by the Senate Department for Science, Health, Care and Equality in an online overview on Wednesday (08 June 2022), 82 infections have been registered in the capital so far. 14 patients are in the hospital, he said. The first cases in Berlin had become known two and a half weeks ago.

Cases reported in nine states

Nationwide, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 80 detections of monkeypox on Tuesday - but before the reported figures from Berlin, where there are particularly many cases. Nine states reported cases of the actually rare viral disease: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt.

Health administration advises safer sex practices to prevent infection

"Since infection is likely to occur via mucosal contact, close physical/sexual contact with changing or unfamiliar persons should also be avoided if possible as a precaution," the Berlin health administration advised. Safer sex rules such as the use of condoms should be observed, it said.

Low risk for the general population

Monkeypox is considered a less severe disease compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980. According to the RKI, the pathogen is usually transmitted from person to person through close physical contact. Experts believe that the outbreak can be limited. The risk to the general population is still considered low. Symptoms - including fever and skin rash - usually disappear on their own within a few weeks, but can lead to medical complications and, in very rare cases, death in some people.