In the meantime, 18 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Berlin. In addition, there are seven other suspected cases, said Health Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) on Tuesday after the Senate session.

Five of those affected were admitted to hospital, all of them men. Nationwide, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the number of reported cases as 33 on Tuesday, after 21 on Monday.

Gote explained that the monkeypox virus is transmitted through close physical contact and in particular through the mucous membranes. “The virus doesn’t differentiate according to sexual orientation at all.”

The virus is not comparable to the corona virus, among other things not as contagious. Nevertheless, it is important to take the whole thing seriously and to consult a doctor in the event of symptoms or the first signs.

Because of the tracking of infection chains, this also applies to contact persons of infected people.