GERMANY: On Tuesday, the German city of Pforzheim confirmed its first case of monkeypox in children, with its diagnosis of the virus in a 4-year-old, as per reports by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control.
The RKI also revealed that the child, who resides with two other infected adults in a household, currently shows no signs or symptoms of the disease
The child was examined by a doctor as a precautionary measure and also underwent a swab test for the purpose of the diagnosis.
The child was evidently not in contact with anyone beyond her household.
The news comes as the RKI revealed it had discovered traces of the virus in teenagers aged 15 to 17 just last week.
Less than three months after the first monkeypox case was discovered in Germany, a total of 2,916 cases have been brought to the RKI’s attention. Nearly all the cases are male, while only seven are only female.
Monkeypox has primarily been perceived as a disease that spreads through sexual contact. The initial prejudice, based on a general trend, indicated that the disease only spread in males who have sexual contact with other males. However, after females and now children have begun to be diagnosed with the disease, the prejudice is slowly losing ground.
The RKI said, “According to current knowledge, close contact is required for transmission of the pathogen.”
“As far as is known, most of those affected do not fall seriously ill,” the RKI added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also revealed that, fortunately the rate of infection (both reported and confirmed) among children globally is at a low.
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