Photo: ANP
Doctors no longer have to immediately report monkeypox virus (now called mpox) or its suspicions. The disease will no longer be classified as an A-infectious disease, Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health) wrote to the House of Representatives on Friday.
The reporting obligation was introduced on May 21 to detect new cases as early as possible. There was a peak of infections in the summer, but the number has decreased since September. There are currently only a few reports a week with occasional small clusters. This should remain the case for the foreseeable future.
People who contract the virus may first experience fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. After a few days, they also develop a rash. Within a few weeks, the symptoms disappear. The vast majority of people heal on their own.
Nearly 1,250 people have tested positive for mpox, the minister said. Almost 25,000 vaccinations were carried out, of which just over 10,000 were second vaccinations. Most of the people who have tested positive are men who have sex with men.
