Earlier on Thursday, the Robert Koch Institut (RKI), the German sister organization of the RIVM, advised all adults in Germany who fall into a risk group to be vaccinated against monkey pox as a preventive measure. These are people who are more likely than average to get it, such as people who work in infectious disease labs and men with varying contacts with other men. Those who may have had contact with infected people can also receive a vaccination.
The RKI advises people who have had contact with an infected person to get a vaccination as soon as possible. This must be done within fourteen days of the contact. The advice for gay men is made because all cases in Germany have been identified in that community. As far as is known, they do not have a higher risk of getting monkey pox than other people.
The RKI says that the vaccine is available to a limited extent, because a vaccination against smallpox is no longer given as standard. People who are vaccinated get two shots, at least 28 days apart. According to the health organization, it is especially important to comply with the rules. The most important rule is that people immediately go into isolation if they are (possibly) infected.
In the Netherlands, people are vaccinated who are in a high-risk group and who are around confirmed cases of monkey pox, according to the RIVM.