In the context of the current outbreak of monkeypox, more than 1000 cases have been recorded in Germany.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a total of 1054 transmitted cases from all federal states in an online overview as of Friday.

The RKI's risk assessment continues: "According to current knowledge, the RKI assesses the risk to the health of the general population in Germany as low." The first cases in Germany became known about six weeks ago.

Spread “should have been better controlled”

"Reaching this number is not worrying," said Timo Ulrichs, an expert in global health at the Acre University of Human Sciences in Berlin.

"It's not nice and should have been controlled much better right from the start," but the situation is not at all comparable to the corona pandemic.

According to the current state of knowledge, the actually rare virus disease, which has been proven thousands of times worldwide, is mainly transmitted through close physical contact from person to person.

According to the WHO, most of those affected are men who have sex with men.

In general, however, anyone can become infected through close physical contact.

Ulrichs emphasized that stigmatization must be decisively counteracted.

Because transmission is mainly sexual, the means of containment are clear: "Good communication, safer sex and consistent tracking of the rather short chains of infection," says Ulrichs.

With this and possibly a vaccination, the spread can be contained well, "so that in the near future the numbers will only increase slightly and monkeypox will tend to be a side note in the following years".

The RKI emphasizes that wearing condoms alone does not protect against infection.

Infected people should avoid any kind of close contact, including protected sexual contact, with other people until the rash has cleared and the last scab has fallen off.

The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends vaccination for certain risk groups and people who have had close contact with infected people.

Monkeypox is considered a less serious disease compared to smallpox, which has been eradicated since 1980.

Symptoms usually go away on their own, but can lead to medical complications and, in very rare cases, death in some people.