CDC's monkeypox advisory for travelers 0:40
(CNN) --
The spread of monkeypox through small virus particles that remain in the air "has not been reported," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. for its acronym in English) in a guide published on Thursday.
It can be spread through "saliva or respiratory secretions" during face-to-face contact, but these secretions are "rapidly airborne," and studies have found that this method of transmission appears uncommon.
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Unlike other viral diseases such as covid-19 and measles, the monkeypox virus is not subject to "airborne transmission," which involves small particles that remain in the air or spread on air currents. the CDC notes.
"In cases where people with monkeypox have traveled on airplanes, there have been no known cases of monkeypox in people sitting around them, even on long international flights."
But because of the possibility that monkeypox is spread through respiratory secretions, the agency "recommends that people infected with monkeypox wear a facemask if they must be around other people in their homes if a close face-to-face contact.
Masks are also recommended for healthcare workers and others who may be in close contact with an infected person.
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Previous CDC guidance said that wearing a mask could help protect travelers from monkeypox, but that recommendation was removed Monday night because it "caused confusion," the agency said.
The virus is spread primarily through direct contact with bodily fluids or sores from an infected person, or with contaminated materials such as bedding, the guidance notes.
Researchers are still learning about other possible methods of transmission, such as contact with semen from an infected person or contact with an infected person who has no symptoms.
As of Thursday afternoon, the CDC was reporting 45 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox in 15 US states and the District of Columbia.
The CDC has reports of 1,356 confirmed cases in 31 countries where the virus is not endemic.
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