Monkeypox Transmitted Through Body Fluids and Scabs... US CDC "Cannot Rule Out Airborne Transmission"

US CDC Announces 'Mask Wearing to Prevent Monkeypox' Then Suddenly Deletes Notice

The airport quarantine has been strengthened due to the spread of monkeypox. Meanwhile, some argue that the possibility of airborne transmission of monkeypox should not be ruled out. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] There is a growing warning that monkeypox, like COVID-19, cannot rule out airborne transmission. The known transmission route of monkeypox has been through direct contact with infected lesions (body fluids, scabs, etc.).

According to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) on the 7th, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted guidelines last week advising travelers to wear masks to prevent diseases such as monkeypox, but abruptly removed the guidance on the afternoon of the 6th.

The CDC stated that it "was concerned about causing confusion," but it is known to have urged mask-wearing for people in countries where monkeypox is spreading, including those with infected family members, healthcare workers, and close contacts of confirmed cases.

It also recommended that monkeypox patients showing respiratory symptoms and their families wear surgical masks.

The NYT reported that this situation suggests that the monkeypox virus can be transmitted through the air, at least over short distances.

Additionally, looking at past cases, monkeypox has been reported to spread to people who had close contact with confirmed patients or animals, but there have been occasional cases explained solely by airborne transmission.

Researchers studying the 2017 outbreak in a Nigerian prison confirmed that two healthcare workers who did not have direct contact with confirmed patients were infected.

Andrea McCollum, a virus expert at the CDC, said in an interview with the NYT, "(Monkeypox) is not a virus that transmits over several meters," but when asked whether the possibility of airborne transmission should be widely publicized, she replied, "That is a reasonable point. It is something to work on going forward."

Experts said that considering the possibility of airborne transmission is necessary to prevent additional infections among family members while many patients are in home isolation due to the monkeypox outbreak.

Dr. Donald Milton, a virus expert at the University of Maryland, warned that since aerosol infection prevention measures are not universal in hospitals, it is important to predict and prepare for the possibility of airborne transmission in the spread of monkeypox.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.