After the first “Mpox” case in Europe, the Stiko recommends vaccination for risk groups. In Berlin, this has so far been a complex process.
BERLIN taz | It’s that time again: On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency – the highest possible international alert level. The reason for this is a new, more contagious and more dangerous variant of the Mpox virus, which is currently raging primarily on the African continent.
On Thursday, the first European Mpox case of the virus variant 1b was diagnosed in Sweden. According to the Senate Health Administration, no cases of the new pathogen have been reported in Germany and Berlin. But the experience of the corona pandemic teaches us that it is only a matter of time before the virus reaches the capital. Health Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) also knows this: “We are monitoring the situation very closely and are preparing appropriate measures,” she announced on Friday.
One risk group for the viral disease, which is usually transmitted through close skin contact and sex, are men who have sex with men. The Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) recommends vaccination for these and other risk groups. In Berlin, however, those who want to be vaccinated have to be persistent. They must get a prescription from their doctor, buy the vaccine from the pharmacy at their own expense (around 200 euros), get vaccinated by the doctor and then apply for reimbursement from their health insurance company.
The reason for the payment wrangling is a lack of a vaccination agreement between the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KV) and the associations of health insurance companies. Until the end of 2023, the vaccination costs were covered by the state of Berlin as part of a cooperation agreement between the KV and the health administration. After that, the contract was canceled. Since then, the vaccinations have had to be billed through the statutory health insurance companies.
Global health emergency after Mpox outbreak 2022
The cooperation agreement came into force after the WHO declared a global health emergency in July 2022 due to the first global Mpox outbreak. In Berlin, 1,668 cases were reported in 2022. “We responded well to the situation at the time and quickly enabled vaccinations,” said Czyborra. The numbers fell after a broad vaccination campaign, with a total of 79 cases of the less dangerous Mpox variant 2b documented in 2023 and 33 so far in 2024.
Although the reimbursement, as a spokeswoman for taz emphasized, has so far worked “without problems,” “the Senate Health Administration is committed to ensuring that the outstanding contract is concluded soon.” In principle, Berlin has been sensitized since the outbreak of Mpox 2022 and can build on the experiences gained.
However, the queer commissioner Alfonso Pantisano (SPD) hopes “that Berlin is better prepared this time,” as he made public in a Facebook post. He called on the health senator to convene a short-term emergency meeting of the Mpox round table. Czyborra announced on Friday that he would “exchange views at a technical level with the institutions involved and agree on joint responses.”
