The first suspected case of human-to-dog transmission of smallpox was reported in Paris, prompting the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to include dogs among animals susceptible to the virus. The disease can spread between humans and animals, said the CDC, which is studying which animals can contract monkeypox, which the United States declared a public health emergency this month. The CDC lists 10 animals, including dogs, that can be infected with monkeypox. The evidence of spread from humans to dogs, published in the Lancet, could lead to further guidance on how to care for pets if they are in a living space with an infected person, Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization’s head of monkey pox. the Washington Post said Monday. Monkey pox is usually spread from person to person through direct contact with infectious rashes, scabs, or body fluids. It can also be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or during close physical contact such as kissing, hugging or sex. Monkey pox is “a public health emergency,” says the US health secretary The possible case of human-to-dog transmission was discovered in a 4-year-old Italian greyhound 12 days after its owners showed symptoms of monkeypox, according to the Lancet report. The dog had lesions on its skin and mucous membranes, blisters on its abdomen and a thin anal ulcer. Medical staff matched one of the dog owners’ infections to the one found in the animal. Investigators said the dog belonged to two men who were in a non-exclusive cohabitation relationship. One of the partners is a 44-year-old man and his partner is a 27-year-old, according to the report. The couple reported that they let their dog sleep in bed with them and that they had prevented their pet from coming into contact with other people and pets based on the onset of their symptoms. Monkey pox is roaring through communities of men who have sex with men, raising anxiety and worry in cities with high populations of gay and bisexual men and prompting the WHO to advise those groups to limit sexual partners to reduce the risk of exposure. What you need to know about monkeypox symptoms, treatments and protection About 99 percent of monkeypox cases worldwide are in men, and 98 percent of those cases involve men who have sex with men, Lewis said Monday, shortly after the Lancet report appeared. Lewis also addressed the transmission of monkeypox virus between humans and animals, reporting that there have been cases of humans contracting the virus from newly acquired pets. “This is the first case we know of where there is human-to-animal transmission,” he said of the Lancet report’s findings. “So, on many levels, this is new information. It’s not strange information and it’s something we’re paying attention to.” The world ignored the threats of monkeypox, including the signs of sexual transmission In the report, the researchers called for further research into secondary transmissions through pets. “Our findings should prompt discussion about the need to isolate pets from monkeypox virus-positive individuals,” they said. Lewis said the messages have encouraged people to isolate their pets from family members who may be infected with monkeypox — a precautionary approach as scientists continue to study the spread of the virus, he said. “So again, we don’t know if that dog can go and spread the infection to anybody else, for example,” he said. “This is an example where most pets will not be at risk. It can only be those who are actually in the home of someone who is infected.” Rosamund Lewis, MDCM joins Washington Post Live on Monday, August 15. (Video: The Washington Post)
