The monkeypox virus has been diagnosed in 549 people in the Netherlands. That is 46 more than at the last position, from last Monday. Compared to the past few weeks, this is a very slight increase, but according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), this says nothing about the course of the outbreak.
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Last Monday, the counter at RIVM stood at 503 confirmed infections. That was 101 more than last Thursday, and that was the largest increase since the virus appeared in the Netherlands.
Most people who have contracted the virus are men who have sex with men. The first two patients in the Netherlands became ill at the end of April. A few infections were also added at the beginning of May. In mid-May, the number of positive tests began to rise rapidly. There were probably many people who had been to the Darklands fetish festival in Belgium at the beginning of May.
Pride Events
RIVM recently warned that the upcoming pride events in Amsterdam and other cities could lead to “more intensive spread” of the monkeypox virus within the Netherlands. The most famous pride in the Netherlands, Pride Amsterdam, is held from July 30 to August 7. At the end of July there are also Pink Wednesday in Nijmegen, Pink Monday in Tilburg, Pride Amersfoort and the Milkshake Festival in Amsterdam. Monkeypox is not a venereal disease, but mainly spreads through skin-to-skin contact. Anyone can contract the virus.
Those who contract monkey pox can suffer from fever, headache, muscle aches and general malaise. After a few days, a rash with blisters appears on the skin. Usually people don’t get very sick from an infection. One patient in the Netherlands has been in hospital to be treated for skin complaints associated with the infection. He has recovered and is back home.
By: ANP
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