Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) have met and will continue to meet to monitor the situation.Internationally, cases have been reported in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, France, the Canary Islands, the United States and Canada.
Local transmission is thought to have occurred as the majority of the cases have not travelled to areas where the virus is endemic.Whilst a number of the recently identified cases have self-reported as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, monkeypox has not been described as a sexually transmitted disease, though it can spread through direct intimate contact during sex.Monkeypox, also known as MPX/MPXV, is a rare viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.The virus is mostly transmitted to humans via infected animals, such as primates or rodents, however human-to-human transmission does occur.Human-to-human transmission of monkeypox can occur through close contact with lesions on the skin, body fluids including respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials such as bedding.
Transmission via respiratory droplets usually requires prolonged face-to-face contact. Transmission can occur between sexual partners, through intimate contact during sex, with infectious skin lesions being the likely mode of transmission.It is important to note that significant close contact with an infected person who is displaying symptoms is usually required for transmission.