People who have had direct contact with someone who has tested positive for the monkeypox virus or who has been close to that person will no longer have to quarantine for three weeks. They are, however, given the “strict advice” to refrain from sexual contact and to ensure good hygiene. Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) writes this in a letter to parliament on Friday. The advice to go into isolation for three weeks in the event of an infection continues to apply.
Door: NU.nlThe monkeypox virus appeared in Europe and the Netherlands in May. Because there was a lot of uncertainty about the virus at the time, health services came up with the quarantine advice for people who had been in contact with an infected person.
The monkeypox virus has now been diagnosed in 211 people in the Netherlands, RIVM reports Friday. The increase in the number of new cases is increasing every week, but how hard is difficult to say. This is due to the long incubation period, according to the institute. Last Wednesday, RIVM reported 167 cases. Last Thursday, the counter was still at 95 reports.
Most people who have been diagnosed with the virus are men who have sex with men. Health authorities do emphasize that anyone can get monkey pox after close contact with someone who is infected. According to Kuipers, it cannot be ruled out that the virus will also spread beyond the group of men who have sex with men.
Worldwide, approximately 3,300 infections have been confirmed, Kuipers reports. According to him, there is no flattening in those figures. Where the virus was first mainly taken by people from abroad, it is now mainly a question of transmission without a travel history. Moreover, according to him, there are events on the agenda, “targeted at the risk group where transmission through (anonymous) sexual contacts can take place”.
Next week advice on preventive vaccination
A vaccine is available against the virus. The Netherlands has enough of these on the shelf for the time being. Kuipers writes that next week he will provide advice on, among other things, preventive vaccination, control measures and research.
He also reports that the monkey pox remains classified as A disease. This means that infections or suspicions thereof must be reported immediately to health authorities. He will submit a bill for this to the House. According to him, the A status is necessary to “keep a good eye on the virus”.
Those who contract monkey pox can suffer from fever, headache, muscle aches and general malaise. After a few days, a rash with blisters appears on the skin. Usually people don’t get very sick from an infection. The virus can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, children and pregnant women.
World Health Organization WHO does not expect the worldwide monkeypox virus outbreak to become a pandemic.