Netherlands Confirms First Case of New, More Contagious Mpox Variant
The Netherlands has confirmed its first case of a new, more contagious variant of the Mpox virus, Health, Welfare and Sport Minister Jan Anthonie Bruijn said Tuesday in a letter to Parliament.
The infection, identified on October 17, marks the first detection of the Mpox virus variant 1b in the country.
“This is the first time this new Mpox virus variant has been identified in the Netherlands,” the minister said.
He added that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are “closely monitoring the situation.”
According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the infected man had not been vaccinated against Mpox and had not recently traveled abroad.
The patient has been placed in isolation, and local public health services are conducting contact tracing and source investigations, the institute said.
The minister sought to reassure the public, noting that “the risk of spread appears to be low.”
Mpox, which can cause painful lesions, fever, and fatigue, is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, according to the RIVM.
