Freiburg / Offenburg (dpa / lsw) – After the first case of monkeypox became known in Baden-Württemberg, the health department of the district of Ortenaukreis is clarifying possible symptoms in another suspected case. If there are any symptoms, a smear and a PCR test will be made, said a spokesman for the Ortenau district on Tuesday in Offenburg.
Other suspected cases are not known so far. The office is currently determining the contacts of the monkeypox patient from the Ortenau district and is in contact with the state health department and the Robert Koch Institute, said the spokesman.
The Freiburg University Hospital, where the monkeypox patient from the Ortenau district has been treated as an inpatient since Sunday, did not want to provide any further information on the man’s condition on Tuesday, citing patient protection. According to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Health on Monday, it is a returnee from Spain. He initially had fever, cough and showed typical skin changes. His condition was described as stable.
At the University Hospital Freiburg, it is now to be examined which variant of the virus the patient is dealing with. The result should be available in the coming days.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said in Bremen on Tuesday that what is currently being experienced with monkeypox is not the beginning of a new pandemic. But the development should be taken very seriously. It is not yet known why international outbreaks were different this time than in the past.
According to health authorities, the virus usually causes only mild symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain and skin rash. However, monkeypox can also have severe courses, and fatal illnesses are possible in individual cases. The consequences of surviving an infection can be scarring and, rarely, blindness.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220524-99-407943/4
–
