Almost 50 new cases of monkeypox in the Netherlands

The monkeypox virus has now been diagnosed in 211 people in the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported Friday. That is 44 more than Wednesday, when RIVM reported 167 cases. The institute sees an increase in the number of new cases per week.

However, it is difficult to say how fast the epidemic is increasing, due to the long incubation period, according to the RIVM. The institute plans to share more information next week.

Most people with the virus are men who have sex with men. Health authorities emphasize that anyone can get monkeypox after close contact with someone who is infected. The services expect that the number of infections in Europe will increase for the time being.

Those who contract monkeypox 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. The virus can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, children and pregnant women.

The rule is that people who have had direct contact with an infected person must be quarantined for three weeks and should refrain from intimate contact, said Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health). People with the monkeypox virus have to go into isolation for another three weeks.