News item | 21-05-2022 | 14:50
On May 20, the first infections with the monkey pox virus were also confirmed in the Netherlands. More infections are expected to be found in the coming days. The disease is today classified as A disease. This means that new infections or suspicions thereof must be reported immediately. This will prevent further spread of the virus.
The RIVM has advised to classify monkeypox as an A disease. Minister Kuipers of Health, Welfare and Sport is following this advice. This makes it mandatory for doctors to immediately report the disease and the suspicion thereof. In this way, new cases can be detected and isolated as early as possible and measures such as quarantine can also be taken for their contacts. It expressly concerns the approach of individual cases. No general collective measures are to be expected.
People with (a suspicion of) monkey pox are requested to go into isolation at home. They can be tested. If the test result is negative, the isolation can be lifted. If they are positive, they are asked to remain in isolation until the disease is no longer contagious. That is when the skin is completely healed.
monkeypox
Monkeypox, which is officially called Monkeypox, is a virus that mainly occurs in West and Central Africa. The virus occurs in rodents, but humans can also be infected. The symptoms after an infection are usually mild. More information about the disease can be found on the website of the RIVM†