Monkeypox virus can linger on household items: US study

WASHINGTON • The monkeypox virus can linger on many common household objects, though it is not yet clear if that can spread the infection, according to a new United States government study.

Two monkeypox patients sharing a home said they disinfected surfaces, washed their hands several times a day and showered regularly.

But researchers still found the virus on 70 per cent of high-contact areas 20 days after their symptoms began, including on couches, blankets, a coffee machine, computer mouse and light switch, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

No live virus, however, was detected on any of the items or surfaces, suggesting the risk that infections could spread is low. The CDC said that cleaning and disinfection practices may have limited the amount of contamination in the home.

The study sheds new light on the behaviour of the monkeypox virus while also raising questions.

Monkeypox primarily spreads through direct contact with lesions or respiratory secretions during sustained close contact with someone who is sick.

More than 90 per cent of monkeypox cases in the US were associated with recent male-to-male sexual contact, according to a different CDC study.

The virus can also spread through fluids or objects used by an infected person, but it is not yet clear how much some surface contamination contributes to indirect transmission of the virus, according to the study.

People visiting the home of someone with monkeypox should still protect themselves "by wearing a well-fitting mask, avoiding touching possibly contaminated surfaces, maintaining appropriate hand hygiene, avoiding sharing eating utensils, clothing, bedding, or towels and following home disinfection recommendations", the CDC said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia yesterday confirmed its first case of monkeypox in a local man who was recently overseas.

A 27-year-old man from Jakarta tested positive with mild symptoms and is under home isolation, said Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Syahril.

The person is known to have travelled to one of the 89 countries that have confirmed cases of monkeypox, he said, without giving any details.

The government will provide 10,000 doses of vaccines for monkeypox patients and their close contacts, Mr Syahril said.

As many as 1,200 reagents will be distributed to hospitals across the country for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of suspected cases, he said. The ministry said 10 more labs will be made available to test PCR samples of monkeypox, from two currently.

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