How Do You Get Monkeypox? Expert Tips

Monkeypox spreads through close, sustained contact with an infected person, most often through direct skin-to-skin contact with their rash, scabs, or body fluids. You can also get it from respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face interactions or from touching contaminated items like bedding or towels. The virus does not spread through casual, brief conversations or walking past someone in a store. Understanding exactly how transmission happens is the key to protecting yourself without unnecessary fear.

How Does Monkeypox Actually Spread from Person to Person?

Research shows that monkeypox requires close, intimate contact to transmit. The virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or mucous membranes like the eyes, nose, and mouth. Direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids of someone who is symptomatic is the most common route.

Respiratory spread is possible but typically requires prolonged face-to-face contact, such as living in the same household or being in a crowded room for hours. Brief interactions like standing in line or passing someone in a hallway are not considered high risk. During the 2022 global outbreak, most cases were linked to sexual activity, largely because of the extended skin-to-skin contact involved.

Current research suggests that the virus can also be present in respiratory secretions and saliva, but the amount needed to infect someone through the air alone is much higher than what is needed through direct skin contact. This is why the virus is not considered airborne in the same way as measles or COVID-19.

Can You Get Monkeypox from Surfaces and Objects?

Yes, but this is less common than direct person-to-person spread. The virus can survive on surfaces like clothing, bedding, towels, and furniture for days or even weeks under the right conditions. When a person with monkeypox touches these items, their rash fluid or scabs can leave the virus behind.

If you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your eyes, nose, mouth, or any broken skin, you can become infected. This is called fomite transmission. Studies have found that porous materials like fabric and bedding pose a higher risk than hard surfaces because they can absorb and retain body fluids.

Shared items like drinking glasses, utensils, or toothbrushes may also carry the virus if used by someone who is symptomatic. However, casual contact with objects in public spaces, such as doorknobs or shopping carts, has not been linked to significant spread. The virus does not survive as well on non-porous surfaces unless they are visibly soiled with infectious material.

What Are the Early Symptoms You Should Watch For?

Monkeypox symptoms typically appear 5 to 21 days after exposure. The illness often begins with flu-like signs: fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Swollen lymph nodes are a key distinguishing feature from other similar illnesses like chickenpox or smallpox.

Within 1 to 4 days after the fever starts, a rash develops. The rash often begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. During the 2022 outbreak, many people developed the rash only on the genitals, anus, or mouth, making it easy to mistake for a sexually transmitted infection.

The rash goes through several stages: flat spots, raised bumps, fluid-filled blisters, pus-filled lesions, and finally scabs that fall off. A person is contagious from the moment symptoms begin until all scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath. This process usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Some people experience very mild symptoms with only a few lesions, while others develop severe rashes covering large areas of their body. The severity varies widely, and some infected individuals may not even realize they have monkeypox.

How Do You Get Monkeypox From Animals?

Monkeypox is a zoonotic virus, meaning it originally spreads from animals to humans. The natural reservoir is believed to be rodents, not monkeys. Small mammals like rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, and dormice carry the virus in parts of Central and West Africa.

Humans can get monkeypox from animals through direct contact with the animal’s blood, body fluids, or lesions. This can happen during hunting, trapping, or preparing bushmeat for cooking. Bites or scratches from an infected animal can also transmit the virus. Eating undercooked meat from an infected animal may be another route, though strong evidence for this is limited.

Pet trade has also introduced infected animals to other countries, though this is rare. As of 2026, the risk of getting monkeypox from animals in the United States is extremely low unless you have direct contact with imported African rodents or their products. No cases of monkeypox from domestic pets like dogs or cats have been confirmed in the U.S.

What Actually Works to Prevent Monkeypox?

Vaccination is the most effective prevention tool. The JYNNEOS vaccine is approved in the U.S. for monkeypox prevention. It is a two-dose vaccine given 28 days apart. Research shows that two doses provide strong protection against infection, and even one dose significantly reduces the risk of severe illness. The vaccine is recommended for people who have been exposed to monkeypox or who are at higher risk due to close contact with infected individuals.

Beyond vaccination, practical steps include avoiding close skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a rash that looks like monkeypox. Do not share bedding, towels, or clothing with someone who is symptomatic. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after touching potentially contaminated surfaces.

If you live with someone who has monkeypox, they should isolate in a separate room and use a separate bathroom if possible. The infected person should cover their rash with clothing or a bandage and wear a well-fitting mask when around others. Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces daily, along with washing contaminated laundry in hot water with detergent, reduces the risk of household spread.

For healthcare workers or anyone caring for an infected person, gloves, gowns, and N95 masks are recommended. The virus can survive on surfaces, so proper use of personal protective equipment and hand hygiene are critical.

Common Misconceptions About Monkeypox Transmission

One widespread myth is that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted infection in the traditional sense. While the virus can spread through sexual activity because of the close skin-to-skin contact involved, it is not classified as an STI. The virus does not live in semen or vaginal fluids in the same way that HIV or herpes does. Anyone who has close contact with an infected person can get monkeypox, regardless of sexual activity.

Another misconception is that you can get monkeypox from shaking hands or hugging someone briefly. Research shows that transmission requires prolonged contact, typically more than a few minutes of skin-to-skin exposure. The virus does not jump from person to person through the air over short distances in the same way as COVID-19 or the flu.

Some people believe that only men who have sex with men are at risk. This is false. During the 2022 outbreak, the virus spread disproportionately within that community due to social and sexual networks, but monkeypox can infect anyone. Stigmatizing any group makes public health responses less effective and does not reflect the biology of the virus.

There is also a claim that monkeypox is airborne. This is not accurate. The virus can spread through respiratory droplets during prolonged, face-to-face contact, but it does not hang in the air for long periods or travel far distances like measles. The World Health Organization and the CDC classify it as a close-contact virus, not an airborne one.

When Should You Get Tested or See a Doctor?

If you develop a new, unexplained rash along with flu-like symptoms and you have had close contact with someone who has monkeypox, you should see a healthcare provider. Testing involves swabbing the lesions themselves. Blood tests are not used for diagnosis. The swab is sent to a lab for PCR testing, which looks for the virus’s genetic material.

Testing is most accurate when the rash is fresh and fluid-filled. Scabs and healing lesions can still be tested but may give a false negative. If you think you have been exposed, you do not need to wait for symptoms to appear before taking action. Post-exposure vaccination within 4 days of exposure can prevent the disease entirely. Vaccination within 4 to 14 days may reduce symptoms but not prevent infection entirely.

If you test positive, isolate at home until all scabs have fallen off and new skin has formed. This usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. Over-the-counter pain relievers and antihistamines can help with symptoms. Severe cases may require antiviral medication like tecovirimat (TPOXX), which is available through the CDC under an expanded access protocol. Most cases resolve on their own without specific treatment.