CDC Updates Monkeypox Guidance For Pets After Dog Tests Positive

cropped image of veterinarian in latex gloves examining dog paw

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its monkeypox guidance for pets after a dog recently tested positive for the virus. It is the first time the virus has been found in domesticated animals such as dogs or cats.

study posted in the medical journal The Lancet detailed the infection of a four-year-old male greyhound in Paris, France. Scientists believe the dog contracted monkeypox from its owners after sharing a bed with them.

About twelve days after the dog's owners began experiencing symptoms, they noticed lesions on their dog. The study did not provide any information about the condition of the dog or how long it took to recover.

"This is the first incident that we're learning about where there is human-to-animal transmission," Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization's lead on monkeypox, told The Washington Post. "So, on a number of levels, this is new information. It's not surprising information, and it's something that we've been on the watch out for."

The CDC said that pets that come in close contact with a symptomatic person with monkeypox should be isolated from other animals for 21 days.

"Pets that had close contact with a symptomatic person with monkeypox should be kept at home and away from other animals and people for 21 days after the most recent contact," the CDC explained. "Infected people should not take care of exposed pets. The person with monkeypox should avoid close contact with the exposed animal, and when possible, ask another household member to care for the animal until the person with monkeypox is fully recovered."


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