08 July 2022 – 08:05
Soa Aids Nederland is pleased with the start of preventive vaccination against monkeypox (monkey pox). It is now an important additional way to stop the further spread of this virus. Minister Kuipers of Public Health announced today that he will offer the vaccine to a limited group of men who have sex with men and who have varying contacts. The vaccination will start in the Amsterdam region among 2000 men who use the HIV prevention pill PrEP, while the vaccination for a broader target group will be prepared at the same time. Soa Aids Nederland sees the decision as a first effective step and calls on the minister to expand vaccination as quickly as possible to the whole of the Netherlands and to a much larger group: all men who have sex with men and trans people with varying sexual contacts. To make this possible, consideration should already be given to purchasing additional vaccines.
Hanna Bos, infectious disease control doctor at STI Aids Netherlands : “Vaccination can reduce the risk of serious illness, in some cases monkeypox leads to considerable discomfort and a lot of pain. But vaccination also contributes to slowing down the spread of the virus. Starting to vaccinate a limited group of men will do a big blow to the outbreak, but stopping it effectively will require reaching more men who have sex with men across the country. I therefore call on everyone who is invited to use this vaccine. In addition, alertness to symptoms of a possible infection remains necessary and the advice is to avoid sex and close physical contact.”
Vaccination part of prevention package
In the Netherlands, more than 400 people have now been diagnosed with an infection with monkeypox. For the time being, the virus mainly occurs in men who have sex with men. The virus causes a skin rash, often with fever, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. It starts with bumps that turn into blisters, which dry up into scabs. The long incubation period makes it difficult to determine exactly how quickly the disease is spreading, according to RIVM, but the numbers of diagnoses are systematically increasing.
The transmission of the virus can be slowed down by being alert to the symptoms, by preventing others from being exposed to the blisters, by warning contacts and now also by preventive vaccination. Earlier this month, Germany, Spain and England also advised that the group at high risk of monkeypox should be vaccinated preventively.
Campaign together with community
In collaboration with the target group itself, with the gay catering industry, the event sector, RIVM and GGDs, Soa Aids Nederland will expand the current information campaign on the prevention of monkeypox by promoting the vaccination.
Soa Aids Nederland emphasizes that anyone can contract monkeypox through intimate contact, a virus makes no distinction. By providing correct, unbiased information and support to the group that is now most at risk, there is a belief that that group can protect itself and the rest of the population.
The basic information about the monkeypox virus is already on www.mantotman.nl/monkeypox and will be expanded with information about the vaccination.
Source: STD AIDS Netherlands
Editorial Medicalfacts/ Janine Budding
I studied physiotherapy and health care business administration. I am also a registered Independent client supporter and informal care broker. I have a lot of experience in various positions in healthcare, the social domain and the medical, pharmaceutical industry, nationally and internationally. And have broad medical knowledge of most specialties in healthcare. And of the health care laws from which health care is regulated and financed. Every year I attend most of the leading medical conferences in Europe and America to keep my knowledge up-to-date and to keep up with the latest developments and innovations. I am currently doing a Masters in Applied Psychology.
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