Around 818 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for monkeypox on Monday, the public health institute RIVM reported. On Thursday, there were 712 cases of monkeypox in the Netherlands.
Six of the monkeypox patients are women. The virus spreads via close skin-to-skin contact, and anyone can contract it, but the current outbreak in the Netherlands predominantly affects men who have sex with other men.
Whereas, the number of monkeypox infections is continuously spiking, with over 16,000 cases in 75 nations. On Saturday, the World Health Organization designated monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern.
As per the RIVM, this doesn’t change anything about the Dutch approach in battling the virus. On Monday, the Netherlands started a preventive vaccination campaign among people who are at most risk of catching the virus in Amsterdam and The Hague, where majority of the Netherlands’ infections have occurred.
People tend not to get very sick due to the monkeypox virus. It causes symptoms like fever, headaches, muscle aches, and general malaise. A rash with blisters may appear a few days into the infection.
