You have heard so much about viruses and infections you can get from your pet, but what if I told you about one you can easily transfer to your pets?
Pox diseases are viral, and typically they affect animals, it is a zoonotic disease because it can affect humans too. The exact source of mpox is unknown yet, but it is believed that some animals are carriers of the virus particularly in the West and Central Africa.
Generally, infection is passed through inhalation or the skin.
Humans can get the virus via direct contact with an infected animal, this contact is possible through the act of trapping, hunting, and processing of infected animals or their fluid and body parts. Small-sized mammals are good at carrying the virus without showing any form of symptom while non-human primates on the other hand like monkeys can get sick with mpox and have symptoms of the disease just like humans.
There was an outbreak of monkeypox in domesticated prairie dogs, the outbreak happened after they shared the same cage and bed with a shipment of infected small mammals from West Africa. As a result, there were 47 human cases in six states in the United States, and for the first time, human monkeypox was reported outside of Africa.
The possibility of monkeypox in pets is something that is not ascertained yet, but there is a strong possibility that it might happen. Humans who have mpox can spread the virus to their pets through close contact like; kissing, hugging, licking, sharing food, and sharing sleeping areas.
On the 23rd of July, 2022, WHO declared the recent monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. As of August of the same year, there have been over 40,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide with 12 reported cases.
Monkeypox belongs to the same family as smallpox, with symptoms that come in the form of rash, cough, lack of appetite, bloating, nasal, pox-like skin sores, eye crust or secretion, and fever. Upon infection of a person with the monkeypox virus, it can be transferred to another human through intimate physical contact like kissing and sexual intercourse, respiratory droplets during face-to-face contact, and touching the infectious rash or body fluid of an infected person.
Upon infection with monkeypox, the phase of incubation lasts within 5-21 days before symptoms begin to show, in most occasions, two sets of monkeypox symptoms are noticed, the first symptom occurs and lasts for about five (5) days. Low energy, muscle aches, fever, headaches, and swollen lymph nodes fall under the first category.
A few days later after the appearance of fever, rash follows suit, the type that looks like pimples or blisters, and it can appear on any part of the body including the chest, face, soles of the feet, inside the mouth, genitals or anus, and the palms of the hand.
Gladly, there are two vaccines available for monkeypox. However, vaccination alone is not sufficient to control the spread of monkeypox amongst humans and their pets, certain important precautionary measures must also be followed strictly.
Any form of intimate or skin-to-skin contact with a person who has a rash should be avoided, try not to touch a material that has previously been touched by a person who has monkeypox, washing hands with soap and water is also very necessary and should never be joked with.
In a bid not to infect your pet with the virus, ask a friend or relative who stays away from you to help you take care of them while you get treated. People with a weak immune system, pregnant women, young children, and those with a history of atopic dermatitis or eczema are at a strong risk.
Of course, your pet may get monkeypox from another person and this also means you could contact the virus if that is the case, in the same vein, ensure that the sick pet is separated from other pets in the home and other humans inclusive, allow an expert handle the treatment until things return to normal.
Monkeypox is a virus that can be transferred from pets to humans and in the same vein, transferred from humans to pets. Any human or pet that contacts it must isolate themselves from the rest of the family until appropriate treatment is gotten.
cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/veterinarian
