Eighty cases of monkey pox have been identified in the Netherlands so far, RIVM reports. That is twenty more than in the previous report from the institute, last Thursday.
In almost two weeks, the number of cases has doubled. “A large part of the people who test positive are men who have sex with men,” according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). According to the institute, in the Netherlands, however, only cases have been identified in men who have sex with men.
Anyone can get monkey pox
Health authorities do emphasize that anyone can get monkey pox after close contact with someone who is infected. A woman and a child also contracted the virus in England, according to the RIVM. How the monkey pox spreads exactly and which risk groups should therefore be warned is still being investigated.
The first Dutch case of monkey pox was diagnosed on 20 May. The virus mainly occurs in certain parts of Africa, but has also been circulating in Europe for a few weeks.
Gay fetish festival Darklands in Belgium
Among the first monkey pox patients are people who have been to the gay fetish festival Darklands in Belgium. It was held from 4 to 9 May. The so-called incubation period of monkeypox is 5 to 21 days. People who became infected at the festival could therefore still get the first complaints at the end of May. Positive test results can still be obtained until June, which can be traced back to that festival. In the meantime, they may have infected others.
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.
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