Research has shown that monkeypox-virus particles can spread over short distances via respiratory droplets exhaled by people with lesions in their mouths. It is unknown whether monkeypox can spread by even tinier airborne particles known as aerosols.
Cases, which can include a rash, have been reported in the U.S., U.K. and Canada; outbreaks rarely occur outside West and Central Africa
World Health Organization officials said they expect more cases of monkeypox will be seen as surveillance expands, but outbreaks of the disease can be contained. Photo: Denis Balibouse/ReutersPublic-health officials say monkeypox poses little threat to the general public. But the continuing spread of the disease—and as-yet-unsubstantiated fears that the virus that causes it could spread widely through the air—has sown confusion about just how big the risk really is.
including the U.S., Canada, Spain, Portugal and Australia, according to nonprofit data platform Global.health. Until recently, monkeypox was rarely found outside certain parts of West and Central Africa. In the U.S., 35 cases have been confirmed across 14 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.