(MENAFN) Dutch health officials have verified the nation’s first case of a newly discovered mpox variant, Health Minister Jan Anthonie Bruijn announced Tuesday in a letter to parliament.

The infection was detected on October 17 in a man who had neither been vaccinated against mpox nor traveled abroad, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported.

Currently isolated, the patient’s contacts are being traced by municipal health services, according to a public news broadcaster.

Bruijn noted that this new strain, dubbed mpox variant 1b, has also been found in Spain and the United States.

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are actively monitoring the development.

The RIVM emphasized that mpox primarily transmits through direct skin-to-skin contact and can cause symptoms including painful lesions, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Vaccination efforts targeting high-risk groups will continue through the end of the year, with the government expected to decide later whether to extend the campaign.

Since the global outbreak began in 2022, the Netherlands has documented more than 1,300 mpox cases.

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