Contacts have been informed after several members of a family were found to have contracted mpox, including two school-age children.

A school in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia was closed as a precaution on Monday after two children were found to be infected with the mpox virus.

The mpox clade 1b variant was detected in four members of a local family, who have since been placed in quarantine.

The two children attend a school for children with special needs in the town of Rösrath, located near the city of Cologne.

Following the infection report, the school was closed, and authorities announced that lessons would be conducted online until Friday.

"The pupils of a special school in Rösrath will be taught via distance learning from now until Friday inclusive," a statement said after discussions with Germany's disease control and prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

"After intensive discussions with the RKI and other specialist institutions, the health department and the school management have decided to take this preventive measure with a view to protecting the student body in particular."

It is believed that a member of the family contracted the disease during a trip to Africa, with the remaining family members subsequently becoming infected.

So far, the disease has resulted in only mild effects.

Authorities have informed people who were in contact with the infected individuals, but no additional infections have been reported.

The clade 1b variant has raised concern due to its increased risk, although mpox is generally not considered highly contagious.

"Close physical contact is required for transmission of mpox," according to Germany's disease control body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The World Health Organization has declared a "public health emergency of international concern" due to the virus's spread in parts of Africa, where it has caused significant fatalities. However, there have been few reports of the disease in Germany, and no deaths have been recorded.