The mpox virus is now circulating in Berlin, making transmissions possible here as well, warns the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (Lageso). For the first time, mpox cases with the clade 1b virus were identified where the infection occurred in Berlin. The affected group is primarily men who have sex with men (MSM). “Mpox of clade 1b has now arrived in Berlin. The most important preventive measure against illness and severe outcomes is vaccination,” emphasized Lageso President Alexander Straßmeir.
A vaccination recommendation exists particularly for men and trans as well as nonbinary people who have sex with men and frequently change partners, as well as for sex workers. Lageso advises checking your vaccination protection and catching up on missing vaccinations. The vaccination is fully covered by statutory health insurance.
Fever and skin lesions as symptoms
Since mid-December 2025, three cases of clade 1b in Berlin have been confirmed, two of them likely due to local transmission. All affected individuals are men between 30 and 50 years old. Two were reportedly unvaccinated and developed typical symptoms such as fever, skin lesions, and swollen lymph nodes. One man who had been vaccinated once experienced milder symptoms. Internationally, at least two additional clade-1b cases with a possible Berlin infection location have also been reported.
Mpox viruses are categorized into different genetic lines (clades). Clade 1b is a subgroup of Clade 1 that caused larger outbreaks in 2024/2025 in several African countries, especially the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mpox Clade 1 is considered more dangerous than the less virulent Clade 2, which triggered a global mpox wave a little over three years ago.
Already by the end of October, researchers in the United States sounded the alarm because a variant of Clade 1 had emerged there that had been locally transmitted (TheColu.mn reported). There were also isolated cases in Europe. In the United Kingdom, a new variant of mpox was identified last month as well (TheColu.mn reported).
