A U.S. military member based in Germany has been identified as the Armed Forces’ first known case of monkeypox, according to a spokesperson.
Captain William Speaks, a spokesperson for European Command, told CNN that the active-duty service member at a base in Stuttgart “recently tested positive for monkeypox,” a virus related to smallpox that has been found in several European countries, Canada, Australia, the United States, and elsewhere.
“The individual was seen and treated at the Stuttgart Army Health clinic and is currently in isolation recovering in their quarters off-base,” Speaks said.
Authorities have determined that the single case presents a “very low” risk to the general population, Speaks said. “As a precautionary measure,” he added, “contact tracing is being done for clinic staff who interacted with the patient. The case in Stuttgart is of the West African strain, which is generally mild and human-to-human transmission is limited.”…