Estimated incubation period for monkeypox cases confirmed in the Netherlands, May 2022
Fuminari Miura, Catharina E van Ewijk, Jantien A. Backer, Maria Xiridou, Eelco Franz, Eline Op de Coul, Diederik Brandwagt, Brigitte van Cleef, Gini van Rijckevorsel, Corien Swaan, Susan van den Hof, Jacco Wallinga
Abstract
In May 2022, monkeypox outbreaks have been reported in countries not endemic for monkeypox. We estimated the monkeypox incubation period, using reported exposure and symptom-onset times for 18 cases detected and confirmed in the Netherlands up to 31 May 2022. Mean incubation period was 9.0 [corrected] days (5th-95th percentiles: 4.2-17.3), underpinning the current recommendation to monitor or isolate/quarantine case contacts for 21 days. However, as the incubation period may differ between different transmission routes, further epidemiological investigations are needed.