The dog developed lesions and tested positive for the same type of pox as one of the owners. According to the report, the men said they let their dog sleep in bed with them and made sure to keep their pet away from other animals or people from the onset of their symptoms — before the dog’s symptoms began. “To our knowledge, the kinetics of symptom onset in both the patients and, subsequently, their dog, suggest human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox virus,” the report’s authors wrote. “Given the skin and mucosal lesions of the dog as well as the positive monkeypox virus PCRs from anal and oral swabs, we hypothesize a true disease of the dog, not simple transmission of the virus through close human contact or transmission from air (or both). “ The authors suggested that the study should spark debate about whether pets should be isolated from their owners if they have monkeypox and called for further research.
New, but not surprising, information, says WHO
Lewis said that previously, only animal-to-human transmission of the virus was reported, referring to an outbreak of monkeypox in the US in which humans were infected with the virus through domestic prairie dogs. “This is the first case we’ve learned of where there’s been human-to-animal transmission,” Lewis said during a Washington Post Live event on Monday. “This has not been reported before, nor have dogs been reported to be infected before. “On many levels, this is new information,” he said. “The information is not surprising and is something we are keeping an eye on.” He noted that within the WHO, experts are working with partners such as the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization to address the issue. “The message that has been given so far is that pets should be isolated from family members who may be infected,” he said. “This was an example of a proactive approach, proactive messaging, because we didn’t have the information that this had ever happened before, it hadn’t been reported before, but it was a reasonable, careful message to give. And now we have the first incident where this actually happened.” . Lewis said it is unclear whether the infected dog will be able to transmit the virus to humans. But sometimes, even when they don’t have all the facts, public health professionals need to find the most useful messages that will allow people to assess their level of risk. “This is an example where most pets won’t be at risk, it might just be the ones that are actually in someone’s home that’s infected,” he said.
The CDC says infected people should stay away from animals
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated their page on monkeypox in animals to acknowledge that dogs can become infected with the virus. “We are still learning which species of animals can get sick from monkeypox,” the agency said. “Although we do not know whether reptiles, amphibians or birds can contract monkeypox, it is unlikely since these animals have not been found to be infected with other orthopoxviruses.” The CDC also notes that infected animals can transmit the virus to humans, and it is “likely that infected humans can transmit monkeypox virus to animals through close contact, such as petting, hugging, hugging, kissing, licking, sharing use of sleeping quarters and share food’. The agency advises people with monkeypox to avoid contact with animals, including their pets. Pets that have had close contact with someone with monkeypox symptoms should stay indoors and away from other animals and people for 21 days after the most recent contact, the CDC said. Infected people should not approach their exposed pet. they should have someone else in the house take care of it if possible. If the infected person and pet did not have close contact after symptoms began, the CDC recommends asking someone who lives elsewhere to care for the animal until it has fully recovered from the virus.
