Last Monday the counter stood at 818 registered cases and last Thursday at 712. This means that 166 infections have come to light in one week. That is the largest increase in seven days since the virus appeared in the Netherlands.
The region of Noord-Holland and Flevoland, which includes Amsterdam, has by far the most reports. There, 548 people have tested positive. This is followed by the West region with 135 cases. This region includes Rotterdam and The Hague. That is why people have been vaccinated preventively in Amsterdam-Amstelland and Haaglanden since Monday. About 40 percent of those called have so far passed the jab. The GGDs attribute this relatively low turnout to the holiday period.
Risk group
Most infections have been found in men who have sex with men. Within that group, the greatest risk lies in men who have multiple sexual partners and who frequently have sex with them. The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore advised them on Wednesday to share the bed with fewer people for the time being, in order to reduce the risk of infection.
Pride Amsterdam starts next weekend. Such events could lead to “intensified spread” of the virus, experts warned in an advisory to the government last month. Prides will also be held in other cities in the coming weeks.
Highest Alert Level
In the Netherlands, a few women and a child also contracted the monkeypox virus.
More than 18,000 infections have now been identified worldwide, of which more than 70 percent in Europe. As far as is known, five people have died as a result. Positive tests have been registered in nearly eighty countries. That is why the WHO has given the highest warning level for monkeypox. The virus has been declared an international public health hazard.
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