Expert Warning Monkeypox Could Become ‘Permanent’ If PETS Gets It
EXPERTS have warned that monkeypox could become permanent in Europe if pets start catching it too.
There are still no reports of monkeypox in pets, but in a quick risk assessment on Monday, the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) said it is important to “manage exposed pets and prevent the disease from being passed on to animals in the wild”.
In issuing the update, ECDC said: “If human-to-animal transmission occurs and the virus spreads in an animal population, there is a risk of the disease becoming endemic in Europe.
“Rodents, and in particular species of the family Sciuridae (squirrels) are likely to be suitable hosts, more so than humans, and transmission from humans to (domestic) animals is theoretically possible.
“Such a spillover event could potentially lead to the virus establishing itself in European fauna and making the disease an endemic zoonosis. The probability of this overflow event is very small.”
Prof David Robertson, of the Glasgow Center for Virus Research, told the Telegraph this was a “valid concern”.
He said: “It seems sensible to monitor all animals/pets that infected people come into contact with.”
Experts believe rodents, such as rats and squirrels, can harbor the virus, but the full range of animals at risk is not yet known.
–
–
