Health recommendations

General recommendations

• Generally speaking, everyone is responsible for weighing up the risk to themselves of certain situations, and for taking the necessary precautions to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. At present, we recommend that you reduce the number of sexual partners you have, and that you use condoms, which may reduce, although not completely prevent, transmission.
  
  
• If you have any questions about the risk of contamination following contact, or about symptoms, please call the Health Inspectorate (Inspection sanitaire) on +352 247 85 650, or email inspection.sanitaire@ms.etat.lu for further information on what to do.
  
  
• Anyone who is ill and has symptoms that suggest that they have been infected with the mpox virus (fever, fatigue, muscular pain, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, under the arms or in the groin, and skin eruptions) should contact the National Infectious Diseases Service (Service national des maladies infectieuses - SNMI) at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL): it is advisable to call the service before going to the CHL emergency department. Phone: +352 44 11 30 91.

Samples (e.g. skin lesions) can be taken at the CHL for a PCR test that will detect the mpox virus.

What to do if the result is positive

If someone tests positive for mpox, they should self-isolate at home for 21 days from the date on which the symptoms first appeared, and take the precautionary measures that apply in case of isolation. They will be contacted by the Health Inspectorate, which is responsible for monitoring and contact tracing. Insofar as is possible, anyone who has tested positive should contact the people with whom they have recently had sex or intimate contact to tell them that they have had high-risk encounter and to monitor themselves.

Anyone who has tested positive should avoid direct contact – and especially sexual contact – with others until all of their symptoms have been disappeared, i.e. until all of the scabs have fallen off and they are no longer in any pain, for example rectal pain. The Health Inspectorate will explain the measures to be taken at home to avoid contaminating other members of the household. Good hand and toilet/bathroom hygiene, covering of lesions, and not sharing towels, are highly effective, as there is little risk of the virus spreading other than by contact.

If the person has to leave their home, it is recommended that they wear a mask and clothing that covers all their lesions.

Once completely healed, the use of condoms during sex is recommended for 8 weeks, as sperm or semen can still contain the virus.

Recommendations in case of contact with someone who has tested positive

People who have been in contact with a person who has been infected by the mpox virus do not need to observe a strict quarantine. However, it is recommended that they monitor their condition and avoid prolonged, close contact (including sexual relations) with others for 21 days. It is also recommended that they wear a mask in case of contact with others closer than 2 metres, and that they practice regular hand hygiene.

• If symptoms appear (fever, fatigue, muscular pain, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, under the arms or in the groin, or skin eruptions), the Health Directorate recommends self-isolating and getting checked at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (National Infectious Diseases Service via the emergency department). It is advisable to call to make an appointment. Phone: +352 44 11 30 91.