Since the beginning of this week, GGD Flevoland has been sending specific invitations to the target group that is eligible for vaccination against Monkeypox, also known as monkey pox.
This concerns men who have sex with men and transgender people who are currently taking the HIV prevention pill PrEP, or who are on the waiting list for it. People who are known to the soapoli with an increased risk of STDs are also eligible for a vaccination.
‘It is very important that people heed this call because Monkeypox is a very nasty infectious disease with unpleasant symptoms’, explains GGD doctor Madjid Hosseinnia. ‘And it’s good to emphasize that it’s not an STD. The infection occurs through skin-to-skin contact and through intimate contact’.
What is Monkeypox and what are the symptoms?
Monkeypox is a smallpox virus and it is mainly found in countries in West Africa and Central Africa. In May, the disease was diagnosed in people in Europe. The disease often begins with fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. After 1-3 days, the infected person develops a rash. This rash starts with spots that turn into blisters. After the blisters have dried up, scabs remain that eventually fall off the skin after 2-3 weeks. It is possible that there will be scars on the places of the blisters.
Vaccination consists of two rounds
Hosseinnia continues: ‘The vaccination consists of two rounds, after the first injection you get the second vaccination after 28 days. That applies to people who have never had a smallpox vaccination, otherwise you only need one shot. It is a vaccine that we know and has been used worldwide to fight the so-called human smallpox. It is important to know that the amount of vaccines is limited in the Netherlands. We do not receive an infinite stock from the RIVM. So once again you are invited to get an injection, make an appointment right away. You can do this via the telephone number stated in the letter’.
For more information, visit the RIVM website: https://www.rivm.nl/monkeypox-apenpokken
The website of SOA Aids Nederland also contains useful background information: https://www.soaaids.nl/nl/alle-soas/monkeypox-apenpokken
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