REGIO – COC Midden-Gelderland calls on all GGDs to strongly expand the vaccination campaign against the monkeypox virus. Organizations such as Soa Aids Nederland and PrEPnu endorse this call.
Minister Kuipers of Public Health recently reported that on Monday 25 July, a group of two thousand people in the Amsterdam and Haaglanden regions was vaccinated. These people are also taking part in a project with the HIV prevention pill PrEP.
Vaccinations abroad started earlier
After that, a group of 32,000 people will be vaccinated, who, according to the ministry, are at relatively high risk of the monkey pox virus. These people are specifically invited for vaccination. In France and Germany, the vaccination campaign against ‘monkey pox’ has already started.
COC Midden-Gelderland is particularly concerned about the speed of the vaccination campaign. “The Gay Pride starts in Amsterdam next Saturday. The monkeypox virus is currently known to affect many men who have sex with men. Transmission is also possible with other skin contact, such as cuddling and kissing,” says chairman Ricardo Brouwer.
Many Gelderlanders at Gay Pride
“Many Gelderlanders will also visit the Pride in the capital and therefore run the risk of contamination. A lot of people are close to each other, which worries me,” says Brouwer.
At the moment, the government only wants to offer vaccination to a small group of men who have sex with men and to transgender people, especially in the Amsterdam and Haaglanden region. People who think that they themselves are at risk cannot register for vaccination anywhere at the moment. According to the COC, this must change.
Virus does not discriminate
COC Midden-Gelderland emphasizes that the virus does not discriminate and that anyone can get it. The COC calls on the government to purchase additional vaccine so that there is enough available to vaccinate anyone who may be at risk. At the moment, the Netherlands is not yet purchasing an additional vaccine. Germany is said to have already purchased 240,000 doses.
There are currently more than 800 confirmed cases of monkeypox virus in the Netherlands, including five women and one child. In general, the disease is not serious, although an infection can sometimes cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Fortunately, the monkeypox outbreak in the Netherlands has not yet led to hospitalizations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued the highest level of warning about the monkeypox virus.
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