German Health Minister Says Monkeypox Outbreaks Will Not Lead To New Pandemic

The outbreaks of monkeypox across European countries will not usher in a new pandemic, as this is a familiar disease that can be easily traced among population, German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach said on Tuesday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2022) The outbreaks of monkeypox across European countries will not usher in a new pandemic, as this is a familiar disease that can be easily traced among population, German Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach said on Tuesday.

"What we are going through now with monkeypox is not the beginning of a new pandemic. From what we know, outbreaks of this viral disease were quite frequent (before), and they can be well controlled through contact tracing. So, this is not the eve of a new pandemic, we are dealing with a known pathogen, and we can fight it," Lauterbach said at a press conference, warning that the pathogen can mutate.

The minister added that the disease must be taken seriously, as "it is still unknown how this outbreak will develop compared to the previous ones.

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Lauterbach said that monkeypox is transmitted not only through unprotected sexual contact, but it is possible to contract the disease in other ways.

Earlier in the day, the World Health Organization said it was aware of 131 human cases of monkeypox infection in non-endemic countries and another 106 are being investigated.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted to people from wild animals and is endemic in some African countries. Monkeypox can be transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.