The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) assumes that the number of infections will continue to increase as monkeypox spreads in Germany. “It will take until late summer or early autumn before we see whether the efforts to limit the outbreak were successful,” said RKI Vice President Lars Schaade to the newspapers of the Funke media group (publication day Saturday).
Schaade does not expect the curve to flatten out for a few weeks. One of the reasons for this is the long incubation period of up to 21 days.
Schaade is optimistic that the number of cases will fall if well informed and the vaccine is used sensibly. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends vaccination for certain risk groups and people who have had close contact with infected people. “But I believe that we will see cases again and again in the months that follow. We have to be very vigilant,” said the RKI Vice President.
As of July 1, the RKI registered 1054 monkeypox infections. According to the current state of knowledge, the actually rare viral disease, of which several thousand cases have been detected worldwide, is mainly transmitted through close physical contact from person to person.
