So, How Does Monkeypox Typically Spread?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

On May 18, a U.S. resident in Massachusetts tested positive for monkeypox after traveling to Canada, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recent cases have also been reported in some European countries—including the U.K., Spain, and Portugal, which have seen up to 30 cases each—and Australia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While the case in Massachusetts was the first confirmed in the U.S. this year, the CDC is now tracking suspected and confirmed cases in multiple other states.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus; the first human case was recorded in 1970, according to the CDC. The origin of the monkeypox virus is unknown, though African rodents and nonhuman primates like monkeys may carry it, per the CDC. Monkeypox symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash that often begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body. Eventually the lesions turn to scabs, which can fall off and leave pitted scars.

Monkeypox usually lasts between 2 and 4 weeks, per the CDC, which notes that it has been shown to kill 1 in 10 people who contract the disease in Africa, where the virus is most prevalent. No deaths due to the current outbreaks have been reported to date, according to the WHO. Though a monkeypox vaccine isn’t currently available in the U.S., the smallpox vaccine can provide some protection against monkeypox. These are typically only used for those “at risk with occupational exposure” to monkeypox (for instance, researchers who study poxviruses in a laboratory setting), per the CDC.

The recent outbreaks in Europe and the confirmed and suspected cases in the U.S. have brought up questions about how monkeypox is spread—and what prevention measures can be put in place to stop transmission. Below, what you need to know about how monkeypox is transmitted and what officials are doing to prevent more cases in the U.S.

https://www.self.com/story/how-does-monkeypox-spread

[captain queeg]

1. Maybe not technically a sexually transmitted disease, but most cases come with people having sex

Maybe it’s just the close contact and breathing on each other.

[Doremus]

2. From what I read sex is one mode of transmission but not the only one.

Transmission of monkeypox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth)

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Monkeypox.aspx

[Archetypist]

3. I had it as a kid.

in the tropics (not Africa).

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. Sheesh, I read 4 paragraphs expecting to see ONE line about how it spreads?

But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Fuck having to click a link after reading 4 paragraphs to find out a simple answer.