Netherlands monkeypox cases climbs to 818

As of Monday, 818 people in the Netherlands tested positive for monkeypox, the public health institute RIVM reported. On Thursday, there were 712 cases of monkeypox in the Netherlands.

Six of the monkeypox patients are women. The virus spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, and anyone can contract it, but the current outbreak in the Netherlands predominantly affects men who have sex with men.

The number of monkeypox infections is increasing, with over 16,000 cases in 75 countries. On Saturday, the World Health Organization designated monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern.

According to the RIVM, this doesn’t change anything about the Dutch approach to fighting the virus. On Monday, the Netherlands started a preventive vaccination campaign among people who are at most risk of getting the virus in Amsterdam and The Hague, where most of the Netherlands’ infections have occurred.

People tend not to get very sick from the monkeypox virus. It causes symptoms like fever, headaches, muscle aches, and general malaise. A rash with blisters may appear a few days into the infection.