Health institute is preparing for first mpox case in the Netherlands

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) is expecting mpox, also known as monkeypox, to be detected in the Netherlands in the near future. "As soon as we have a case of the new variant, the person will be isolated, and a source and contact investigation will take place. People are ready for this. We expect to be able to limit the spread quickly," the institute said.

A new, more contagious, and dangerous variant, a so-called clade of mpox, has been circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the end of last year. The disease has spread to other African countries in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda in the past few weeks. It has also been detected outside of Africa in Sweden and Thailand.

The RIVM thinks the mpox variant will probably also make its way to the Netherlands. "We expect somebody to take it with them, but we do not know when that will happen. As long as the virus is not in the Netherlands, there will not be much of an issue for us."

It will not spread as fast as the coronavirus did in 2020, The institution thinks. They are currently mainly focusing primarily on advice for Dutch people traveling to affected areas. "Be vigilant and do not come into contact with mpox," the advice reads.

There are currently around 100,000 mpox vaccines in the country, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport on Thursday. "That is enough to preventively vaccinate the people around them in the event of incoming infections," the ministry said.

Around 1,300 people have been infected with the virus since the start of the mpox outbreak in 2022. This leads a spokesperson of the RIVM to say that the number of vaccines available should be "more than enough."

The World Health Organization has designated the outbreak of mpox as an international emergency.