A school in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia was closed as a precaution on Monday after two children tested positive for the mpox virus.
The Mpox clade 1b variant was found to be present in four members of a local family. Kept in quarantine there.
Both children go to a school for children with special needs in the town of Roserath, not far from the city of Cologne.
After reports of infections, the school was closed and classes would be held online till Friday, officials said.
“Pupils at a special school in Rosrath will be taught via distance learning from now until Friday,” a The statement saidAfter negotiations with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s agency for disease control and prevention.
“After extensive discussions with the RKI and other expert institutions, the health department and the school management have decided to take this preventive measure, especially with a view to the safety of the student community.”
What do we know about new MPOX infections in Germany?
It is believed that a family member contracted the disease during a trip to Africa. Later the rest of the family members got infected.
So far this disease has had only a mild impact.
People who came in contact with the infected individuals have been informed, but no other infections have been reported so far.
The clade 1b variant has caused concern due to the increased risk, however, as Mpox is generally not very contagious.
According to Germany’s disease control body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), “close physical contact is necessary for the transmission of mumps.”
The World Health Organization has declared a “public health emergency of international concern” due to the spread of the virus in parts of Africa, where it has killed several people, but there have been very few reports of the disease so far in Germany and There have been no deaths. ,
This article was written using information from dpa news agency
