Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a rare infection mainly spread by wild animals in parts of west or central Africa. The risk of catching it in the UK is very low.

How you get monkeypox

Monkeypox can be caught from infected wild animals in parts of west and central Africa. It's thought to be spread by rodents, such as rats, mice and squirrels.

You can catch monkeypox from an infected animal if you're bitten or you touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters or scabs.

It may also be possible to catch monkeypox by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been cooked thoroughly, or by touching other products from infected animals (such as animal skin or fur).

It's very uncommon to get monkeypox from a person with the infection because it does not spread easily between people. But it can be spread through:

touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash

touching monkeypox skin blisters or scabs
the coughs or sneezes of a person with the monkeypox rash