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Local Germany
6 days ago
- Health
- Local Germany
EXPLAINED: Should people in Germany be worried about the chikungunya virus?
This week WHO spokesperson Diana Rojas Alvarez told the press in Geneva that chikungunya has been detected in 119 countries around the world, including Germany, 'putting 5.6 billion people at risk.' Rojas Alvarez added that her organisation was 'sounding the alarm early so that countries can prepare in time.' The chikungunya virus is mainly transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, the same species that also spread the dengue and Zika viruses. Recent reports indicate that a person has contracted the chikungunya virus in Alsace, just a few meters from the German border. Talking to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Hendrik Wilking, head of Gastrointestinal Infections, Zoonoses and Tropical Infections at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), said that chikungunya infections have been observed repeatedly among travellers returning to Germany and are on the rise. 'But what is worrying is that we must also expect outbreaks that are not associated with travel, even in Germany,' Wilking added. According to a report in Der Spiegel, 15 imported cases of chikungunya were registered in Baden-Württemberg alone in the first six months of 2025, a five-fold increase on the same period last year. What is chikungunya? Chikungunya is an infectious disease which is primarily transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. The most common symptoms are high fever and severe joint pain, often in the wrists, ankles, and knees. Other possible symptoms include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, rash, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes gastrointestinal or eye symptoms. The name itself is a reference to the symtoms. In Makonde, a language spoken by the Bantu people in southeastern Tanzania, chikungungya means 'the one who walks bent over'. The joint pain can be very severe and may last for months or even years, although most people recover within a week. The disease can be life-threatening for older people and people with underlying health problems. People generally develop symptoms three to seven days after being bitten, but the incubation period can range from two to 12 days. There is no person-to-person transmission. The virus can only be transmitted by mosquito bites. Advertisement How did the virus come to Germany? The WHO's warning of an epidemic is linked to high levels of global trade and travel, as well as climate change. More tropical mosquitoes are reaching Germany via transport links, and more are able to survive in the country as a result of warmer temperatures. While the chikungunya virus originally only caused infections in tropical and subtropical regions, there have been around 800 imported chikungunya cases in neighbouring France since May – as well as 12 recorded instances of local transmission. READ ALSO: Hotels, transport and food: How the cost of travel in Germany is rising this summer Tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes, which were previously non-existent in Germany, are now widespread in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hesse, having migrated along the main highways from southern and south-eastern Europe. Researchers identified tiger mosquito populations in the southern German states for the second time in 2012. The first time they were recorded in the country was in 2007. Mosquito and other pest species that are native to warmer climates are moving further north as weather conditions warm due to climate change, increasing the risk that diseases like chikungunya will become endemic in Central Europe. The risk of major outbreaks in Europe remains small Advertisement The risk of major outbreaks in Central Europe is not particularly high at present, however. The pathogen is not yet native to the region and has only been introduced by travellers so far. READ ALSO: The check-ups you can get in Germany with statutory health insurance Two vaccines against the virus have been approved by Germany's Standing Commission on Vaccines (STIKO). The commission currently recommends vaccination for people travelling to outbreak areas or to endemic areas repeatedly or for more than four weeks, but not for the general population.
Observer
12-06-2025
- Health
- Observer
WHO: New coronavirus variant seen only sporadically in Germany
The new coronavirus variant spreading globally,especially in parts of Asia, has not taken hold in Germany, according to the World Health Organization. The variant, known as NB.1.8.1, was first detected in January and has been classified by the WHO as a "variant under monitoring." In Germany, the variant was first detected at the end of March and has so far only appeared sporadically, according to the country's public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). "No trend can be derived here; current Covid case numbers are low,and correspondingly less sequencing is being conducted," the institute stated. University of Basel biophysicist Richard Neher said whether this variant "will establish itself [in Germany] depends on how other variants evolve. It is quite possible that NB.1.8.1 will prevail, but it is likely to be relatively insignificant." In the most recent reporting week, which ended on June 8, the RKIrecorded 698 Covid cases - a slight increase - but the institute noted this is off a very low base. Many infections are likely going undetected due to limited testing. Slight increase in virus load in wastewater Wastewater monitoring also showed a slight increase in SARS-CoV-2levels over the past four weeks - albeit still at a low level. The new NB.1.8.1 strain is derived from the XDV.1.5 lineage dominantin East Asia, according to biophysicist Neher. The state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua, citing the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, reported that thenew strain had become China's dominant variant by the end of May." The variant is increasing in frequency compared to other variants,"Neher noted. NB.1.8.1 is therefore more transmissible in the sensethat an infection generates more secondary infections than otherstrains. No evidence of more severe cases There is no evidence that NB.1.8.1 causes more severe illness,Chinese authorities have said. This aligns with the WHO's assessmentthat, despite rising case and hospitalization numbers in countrieswhere the variant is widespread, there is currently no indicationthat it causes more serious illness than other circulating variants. Covid-19 vaccines currently approved are expected to protect againstsevere illness caused by NB.1.8.1, the WHO said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
German police raid home of 16-year-old accused of making deadly toxin
German police in the eastern state of Saxony on Thursday raided the home of a 16-year-old boy suspected of manufacturing and storing deadly toxins. Saxony police said a search had been conducted in the town of Zeithain, some 65 kilometres east of Leipzig, and that investigations were proceeding into a suspected offence under the Weapons of War Act. The boy is said to have set up a laboratory in the attic of his parents' home, where he produced a number of ampoules containing a mixture of aconitine and ricin. Ricin, which is made from the seeds of the castor oil plant, is classified as a biological weapon under the act. The aim of the raid was to secure all toxic substances and other evidence, the police statement said. The area around the police operation, including all access roads, has been cordoned off. A kindergarten and a primary school located near the boy's home were informed of the operation but did not have to be evacuated, police spokesman Kay Anders said, adding that there was no danger to the population. Prosecutors said that no arrest warrant had been applied for and that the boy had no criminal record. Currently, there were no reasons requiring his detention, they said. However, police spokesman Anders told dpa that investigators had already discovered small amounts of toxins during a previous raid at the boy's home in December. It came following tip-offs by retailers who are required to report to the authorities when selling sensitive materials such as protective equipment and laboratory technology, he said. However, this did not seem to have stopped the teenager, who "apparently" acquired new seeds to continue manufacturing toxins, according to the spokesman. Experts from Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), are at the scene to aid investigators, the police spokesman confirmed. It was initially unclear what motivated the teenager to make the toxins, police said. Ricin is extremely poisonous and can be fatal even when consumed in very low concentrations. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), the alkaloid aconitine is contained in the aconite plant, also known as wolf's bane. Around 2 to 6 milligrams of pure aconitine can be fatal for adults, according to the institute.
Reuters
29-01-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Berlin boy dies from diphtheria in rare German case, paper says
BERLIN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - A 10-year-old boy has died from a diphtheria infection in a Berlin hospital, German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday, saying the child had not had the well-established vaccination. The child, from the nearby state of Brandenburg, contracted the illness in October and had been in intensive care ever since, says Tagesspiegel. According to Tagesspiegel, citing Brandenburg's health ministry, the boy had not been vaccinated against the illness. When reached by Reuters, the health ministry declined to comment on individual cases. Diphtheria is a highly infectious illness that is very rare in Germany. Effective vaccines have helped keep cases low. Germany's public health body, the Robert Koch Institute, said that in 2023 an adult died from diphtheria in Germany and two adults died in 2024. The institute says on its website that global cases have plunged by more than 90% between 1980 and 2010, citing the wide introduction of diphtheria vaccination. Germany's expert panel on vaccinations known as STIKO, whose recommendations are widely followed by physicians, says that children should receive a series of protective shots against the bacterial disease, ideally in combination with vaccines against other infections.
