Is monkeypox as contagious as Covid-19? Expert says spread a 'matter of concern, but...'

Dr NK Arora, Chairman, COVID working group National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), said, "Monkeypox is not as contagious or severe as Covid-19. However, its spread is a matter of concern. It will have severe output in those immunocompromised."

Monkeypox has been rapidly spreading to over a dozen countries, but what can come as a relief to people is the statement by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC has dispelled fears saying that the virus doesn't spread via air as Covid-19. The CDC noted that the monkeypox virus transmission requires close contact with an infected person, CNBC reported. Although it can spread through respiratory droplets as well, but not nearly as easily as Covid-19, they said.

In tune with the CDC statement, Dr NK Arora, Chairman, COVID working group National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), said, "Monkeypox is not as contagious or severe as Covid-19. However, its spread is a matter of concern. It will have severe output in those immunocompromised. The government has set up an expert committee for this. The surveillance similar to that of Covid-19."

Meanwhile, Finland has identified a "highly likely" first case of monkeypox in the country, the Helsinki hospital district said in a statement on Wednesday (May 25). The hospital district on Wednesday found that a man, who had returned from a trip to another European country, had an infection caused by an orthopoxvirus and will by the end of the week know for sure whether it is monkeypox. "The patient that is currently at home has blisters and a high fever but otherwise he is feeling well," the hospital district said.

A monkeypox patient with lesions in their throat or mouth can spread the virus through respiratory droplets if they are around someone else for an extended period of time. However, the virus does not spread easily that way, Dr Jennifer McQuiston, a CDC official was quoted as saying. "This is not Covid," McQuiston said, adding "Respiratory spread is not the predominant worry. It is contact and intimate contact in the current outbreak setting and population."

For example, nine people with monkeypox took lengthy flights from Nigeria to other countries without infecting anyone else on the planes, according to McQuiston. "It's not a situation where if you're passing someone in the grocery store, they're going to be at risk for monkeypox," she said.