Do Humans Have To Worry About Passing Monkeypox To Their Canine Friends?

The virus could spread from humans to animals, causing new wild animal populations to become infected. This would make it difficult to control (per NBC News). Professor of global health and medicine at Boston University's Schools of Public Health and Medicine, Davidson Hamer, said to Boston University, "The introduction of this virus into wild and domestic animal populations is a major concern because it could lead to the virus becoming endemic." These fears are dispelled by a recent study.

Eurosurveillance published a study that found that 0 of the 154 pets with monkeypox confirmed infections were infected. The risk of owners infecting pets with monkeypox is possible, but it is considered low. Although they acknowledge that some underreporting may be possible, they don't believe there is any significant concern about owners transmitting diseases to pets.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises against touching, hugging, kissing and cuddling your pets to avoid spreading the virus. To prevent spreading the virus, monkeypox patients should avoid contact with other animals and people. Uninfected pets should be left alone with a caregiver away from the infected owner. To prevent further spreading of the virus, you should immediately treat your pet if they show any symptoms of monkeypox.