The World Health Organization called for patients monkeypox For not mixing their pets, following detecting the first case of transmission of the virus from human to dog.
The case was reported in Paris, where the pet fell ill from its owner as well, according to the medical journal The Lancet.
“This is the first reported case of human-to-animal transmission, and we believe it is the first case of infection in dogs,” Rosamund Lewis, technical officer for monkeypox at the World Health Organization, told reporters.
She added that the organization advises those who have contracted the disease to stay away from their pets, stressing the importance of “waste management to reduce the risk of transmitting infection to rodents and other animals outside the home.”
Scientists first identified monkeypox when the virus was detected in experimental monkeys in Denmark in 1958, knowing that it was also discovered in rodents.
The disease was first detected in humans in 1970, and since then it has spread mainly in some West and Central African countries.
In May, cases of the disease, which causes fever, muscle aches and large skin blisters, began spreading rapidly around the world.
More than 35,000 people have been infected since the beginning of this year in 92 countries, of whom 12 have died, according to the World Health Organization, which classified the outbreak as a global health emergency.