Exclusive:
Monkeypox continues to plague the world with new cases reported almost daily. The virus, as the name suggests, originates from animals, but what does that mean for our pets?
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Monkeypox cases are on the rise in the UK, with 78 confirmed infections since the start of May 2022.
Virologist Dr Amr Bayoumy, spoke exclusively with the Mirror to discuss how the disease is transmitted, and whether we should be worried about it spreading to our dogs and cats.
Dr Bayoumy of Coventry University began by reassuring that monkeypox is not another Covid.
“The spread of monkeypox from infected individuals to another person is through prolonged contact,” he told us.
“This is via mucous membranes, lesions, open cuts or wounds or certain materials such as bedding, towels or clothes.”
Discussing the history of the disease, Dr Bayoumy revealed that the virus never began with monkeys, but rather in rodents.
He explained it was later called monkeypox when it was isolated in a lab on monkeys, and that’s how the name came about.
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Image:
Getty Images)
Can dogs and cats get monkeypox?
In short, pet owners have little to worry about as it’s unlikely you could pass on the monkeypox infection to your cats and dogs.
“Since [monkeypox was first recorded], there have been periodic outbreaks of the…
