Monkeypox could spread before symptoms start, study suggests – CBC

Outbreak still represents a global health emergency, WHO says

Nov 03, 2022

Monkeypox can spread before symptoms appear, British researchers said on Wednesday, providing the first evidence indicating the virus can be transmitted this way.

It was previously thought that monkeypox was almost entirely spread by people who were already sick, although pre-symptomatic transmission had not been ruled out and some routine screening had picked up cases without symptoms.

Monkeypox, a relatively mild viral illness that is endemic in several countries in western and central Africa, exploded around the world earlier this year, with outbreaks in dozens of countries where it had never previously appeared.

There have been almost 78,000 confirmed cases and 36 deaths since, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although cases have peaked in many countries, this week the World Health Organization said the outbreak still represented a global health emergency.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/monkeypox-transmission-1.6639533