Possible first Dutch cases of monkeypox virus – In the Netherlands there may be some cases of the monkeypox virus, reports the RIVM Friday. Samples are currently being examined in a laboratory. The results are not yet known.
Even if they all turn out negatively, RIVM takes into account that the first case in the Netherlands will soon be determined.
A spokesperson for the RIVM tells NU.nl that the virus seems to behave slightly differently than usual. “Previously, such a disease was limited to, for example, a person and his family, but now there is also transmission to others.”
The virus is native to West and Central Africa. Occasionally it pops up in other countries, but then it is a single case of someone who has been in Africa shortly before and may have infected someone else.
Now it is a remarkably large outbreak. Infections have been detected in Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, the United States, Canada and Australia.
Respiratory drops and close skin contact
It is still difficult to make a statement about the contagiousness of monkeypox, says the spokesperson of the RIVM. However, the disease is fairly mild in most people.
Infection usually occurs via respiratory drops, but also through close skin contact during sex, for example.
People may first experience fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue. After a few days, they also get a rash. Within a few weeks, the symptoms disappear.
Possible first Dutch cases of monkeypox virus, rash not yet in
In case of complaints, stay at home and visit a doctor or soapoli
The spokesman says that the clinical picture in the current outbreak also seems to be slightly different than usual. Most of the spots that people with the virus develop are around the anus and genitals.
A significant proportion of global infections in May occurred through sexual contact. In most cases this happened during sex between men, but women have also become infected abroad. This image may be slightly distorted because men may be tested earlier.
According to the spokesperson, the contagiousness of the virus is mainly in the vesicles that infected people can get. Good hand hygiene is important to prevent spread. RIVM advises people who do not trust it and get places to stay at home and go to the doctor or a soapoli.
WHO holds emergency consultation
The health organization WHO has decided to hold an emergency meeting due to the sudden outbreak of monkeypox. Experts are considering Friday whether to sound the alarm, the organization has learned.
The WHO could declare a public health emergency of international importance, observers believe. At the end of January 2020, the WHO issued such a warning for the outbreak of COVID-19.
The WHO experts are also discussing the spread of the virus, the possibilities of vaccination and the high proportion of infected men who have sex with men, British media report.
Possible first Dutch cases of monkeypox virus, rash not yet in
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