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News | 14/07/2021
"PRO MERITIS SCIENTIAE ET LITTERARUM"

Award from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts to Dr. Camilla Rothe

The tropical medicine specialist Dr. Camilla Rothe, the former managing director of the Munich Haus der Kunst, Dr. Bernhard Spies, the translator Rosemarie Tietze and the writer Dr. Uwe Timm received the "Pro Meritis Scientiae et Litterarum" award from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts from the then Minister of Science and the Arts, Bernd Sibler. The former Minister of Science and the Arts Bernd Sibler emphasized in Munich: "One aim of this award is to ensure that science and art are perceived as two sides of the same coin. This connection to culture as a unit becomes clear in a very inspiring way when looking at the impressive work of these four outstanding personalities."
Andreas Gebert
Ehemliger Wissenschafts- und Kunstminister Bernd Sibler mit Dr. Camila Rothe

Through an admirably attentive observation, the tropical medicine specialist Dr. Camilla Rothe discovered in early 2020 that the coronavirus can also be transmitted by people without symptoms. TIME Magazine rightly named her one of the 100 most influential people of 2020 for this finding of enormous scientific and social relevance.

"As a tropical medicine specialist who has already dealt with a highly infectious pathogen such as Ebola, you are used to keeping a cool head," emphasized Sibler in his laudatory speech. "And you reacted just as calmly after identifying the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen in a German patient for the first time."

Dr. Rothe made her astute findings available to the public as quickly as possible in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine at an early stage of the pandemic. "With this impressively quick-witted reaction, you made a significant contribution to taking precautionary measures against the virus much earlier and thus saving lives," explained Sibler.

And when her observation was initially doubted, Camilla Rothe had the courage to stand firm on her findings. This has since gained worldwide acceptance. "Your steadfastness makes you a role model for many scientists. After all, courageous researchers who are not afraid to proclaim such 'unpleasant' truths are essential for discourse in an open society. This applies in general, but especially in extreme situations such as a pandemic," Sibler emphasized.

Source: Press release from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts