Concerns over the spread of the monkeypox virus outside Africa are growing. Health authorities from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have advised patients to avoid contact with their pets for at least 21 days. In this way, the transmission of the virus from humans to animals will be prevented.
Monkeypox virus is an infection that is common in West and Central Africa, but recent cases of viral infection are also recorded in Europe and the US.
Pets That Are Susceptible to Monkeypox
On May 27, UKHSA's risk assessment advised monkeypox patients to keep their distance from their pets for the time being. They cited a monkeypox incident in 2018 in which they swiftly implemented a pet management process for one household.
The recent rise in monkeypox cases in the UK warrants a more thorough assessment of the risk posed by pets exposed to monkeypox patients they might have come into contact with.
There are about 106 cases in the UK so far and the World Health Organization (WHO) cautions that the detection of cases around the world just is the tip of the iceberg.
The reservoir for the virus remains unknown, although it is believed to have originated in rodents in West and Central Africa. It has been understood that gerbils, hamsters, and other rodents are particularly susceptible to the disease, WION reported.
Other pets, such as cats and dogs, are also advised to be isolated and should go for regular vet checks to ensure there are no clinical signs of transmission.
Concerns for Spillover Event
Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor from the University of Warwick, told BBC News that there are concerns of human to animal transmission. If it is not prevented, it might create an animal reservoir for the disease and results in it spreading back to humans and ultimately being in a loop of infection.
Meanwhile, a separate advisory from European health authorities also asked monkeypox patients to isolate their gerbils, hamsters, and guinea pigs for fear that the virus could become endemic across the continent once it jumps to animals in a phenomenon known as endemic zoonoses.
The advisory published by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) on May 23 says that rodent pets should be isolated in monitored facilities and tested for the virus before their quarantine period ends. They emphasized that animals should only be put down as a last resort where isolation is no longer a feasible option.
For now, little is known about how monkeypox behaves in the domestic pet population. However, rodents are more likely to catch the virus than humans. It has caused concerns among experts because a spillover event wherein humans transfer the virus to animals might happen.
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