First human to dog monkeypox case prompts WHO advice to pet owners

The World Health Organization has called for people infected with monkeypox to avoid exposing animals to the virus after the first reported case of human-to-dog transmission.

The case, involving two men and their Italian greyhound living together in Paris, was reported last week in the medical journal the Lancet.

Monkeypox was originally identified in monkeys kept for research in Denmark in 1958, though it is found most frequently in rodents.

The disease was first discovered in humans in 1970, with the spread since then mainly limited to certain west and central African countries. But in May, cases of the disease, which causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, began spreading rapidly around the world, mainly among gay men.

More than 35,000 cases have been confirmed since the start of the year in 92 countries, and 12 people have died, according to the WHO, which has designated the outbreak a global health emergency.

With global case numbers jumping by 20% in the past week alone, the UN health agency is urging all countries to do more to rein in the spread, including ensuring at-risk populations have access to services and information about the dangers and how to protect themselves.

There is a vaccine, originally developed for smallpox, but it is in short supply.