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Is Monkeypox Airborne? It's Not Quite As Simple As You Think
Never say never, but for now, it's mostly spreading through physical and sexual contact in the UK.

By Natasha Hinde

04/08/2022 05:00am BST
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Updated August 4, 2022

Monkeypox cases are rising globally and health anxiety is understandably rife, among those concerned about how (and why) the illness is spreading.

Just this week, #MonkeypoxIsAirborne was trending on social media, with people urging others to wear face masks over fears the virus could be spreading in the air. Masks have undeniably mattered throughout the Covid pandemic, but is monkeypox similar in how it’s spread? The answer, for now, is no.


So far, most cases of monkeypox in the UK appear to be linked to sexual or very close contact with other people. The majority of cases are among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, which is why these at risk groups are being offered a vaccine to protect against the virus.

The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from August 1 showed there are 2,672 confirmed and 87 highly probable monkeypox cases in the UK. Of these, 2,638 are in England, with London home to the highest number of cases by far.

People are understandably wary of airborne transmission. At the start of the pandemic, health bodies were reluctant to acknowledge that Covid-19 was airborne. However, it is now widely recognised to be, which is why mask wearing has been the most effective public health measure.

While experts agree monkeypox could be found to have some airborne transmission in future, evidence suggests it’s not how people are currently catching it.



Monkeypox is a rare virus often compared to smallpox, although it is significantly milder and less deadly. Endemic in some west and central African countries, it can cause a variety of symptoms including muscle aches, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion and weakness, but most notably it triggers a rash (or lesions) across the skin.

The majority of people experience mild to moderate symptoms, however young children and immunocompromised individuals are at risk of severe disease.

In past incidences, the spread of monkeypox was considered to happen mostly through respiratory droplets during close and prolonged face-to-face contact, through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person, or through contact with contaminated objects, such as bedding or clothing.

The latest iteration of monkeypox seems to be spreading mainly through sex.

A recent study looking at 528 monkeypox cases between April 27 and June 24, 2022 found 98% of those infected were gay or bisexual men, and transmission was suspected to have occurred through sexual activity in 95% of the persons with infection.

Lead author of the study, Dr John Thornhill, a consultant physician in HIV and sexual health at Barts Health NHS Trust and a clinical senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, tells HuffPost UK: “I think [airborne transmission] is possible but it’s not the efficient mode of transmission at the moment.”

In the current outbreak outside of Africa and non-endemic countries, monkeypox is mainly spreading during sexual contact, confirms Dr Thornhill. But experts are cautious to disregard airborne transmission altogether.



“If you want to dig down and say: is it possible to transmit monkeypox through the air? It probably is, mainly through droplet transmission,” says Dr Thornhill.

“That’s different to just being in the room with somebody. That would involve someone sneezing and coughing, and you’d probably need to be up close and personal with that individual. Personally I wouldn’t be worried about contracting monkeypox through the air, but I wouldn’t definitely say it’s not possible.”