Monkeypox patients advised to avoid contact with pets for three weeks

People with monkeypox have been told to avoid contact with their pets for three weeks because of the risk of the disease spreading to other people.

Monkeypox can be found in animals as well as in humans and can be caused by a viral infection. There has been a surge in human cases in countries where the disease is not endemic, including the UK.

People who have been diagnosed with monkeypox are advised to avoid contact with their pets for three weeks.

If there are people in a household who have had close contact with pet rodents, it is recommended that they be temporarily removed from the house for a period of 21 days.

Cats and dogs should be kept under household isolation with regular vet checks to make sure no clinical signs are observed.

Wendi Shepherd, the monkeypox incident director at UKHSA, said: "We are continuing to identify further monkeypox cases in England." The health protection teams advise confirmed cases to avoid contact with household pets for 21 days.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that someone else in the household should care for the pet. People with monkeypox should wash their hands before and after contact with animals if it is not possible to avoid it.

The risk of a person passing monkeypox to a pet is low according to the UKHSA and Defra.

The risk of monkeypox in pets in the UK is low, according to the chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss.

The UKHSA announced a further 16 monkeypox cases had been identified in England, bringing the total to 101. Three cases have been found in Scotland and one in Wales.