A pharmacist administers a dose of Imvanex, a vaccine to protect against Monkeypox virus, at a pharmacy in Lille, northern France, on August 10, 2022. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)
According to CBS News, France has the first suspected documented human-to-dog transmission of monkeypox. The dog contracted the virus by sleeping in its owner’s bed.
Scientists published a paper in The Lancet medical journal last week that showed evidence of human-to-dog transmission. It was unclear if the virus could spread to dogs.
CBS News also reports the case involves two male partners living together but not sexually exclusive.
They began showing symptoms of the virus a few days after sleeping with other sexual partners.
Twelve days after they showed signs, their four-year-old Greyhound tested positive for the virus.
The scientists also express more investigation into transmitting the virus to pets.
“Our findings should prompt debate on the need to isolate pets from monkeypox virus-positive individuals,” they wrote.
Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization’s lead on monkeypox, stated:
This is the first incident that we’re learning about where there is human-to-animal transmission, she said of the Lancet report’s findings. 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.
Lewis also stated that almost 99% of monkeypox cases are found in men, and 98% of men have sex with other men.
The Biden administration declared the monkeypox outbreak a state of emergency in August after the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency last month.
First identified in May, there have been over 6,600 cases of monkeypox reported.
Also, according to CNN, Wyoming and Montana are the only two states that haven’t listed any infected people.
