How to keep your pets safe from monkeypox — and what to do if they get it

Registered pharmacist Sapana Patel, loads a syringe with monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up vaccination site on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in West Hollywood, Calif. (Richard Vogel/AP)

Monkeypox, which has more than 11,800 cases in the current U.S. outbreak, affects humans with symptoms such as fever and rash.

But the virus is zoonotic, meaning it is spread between animals and humans — and yes, you can give it to your pets, and vice versa. (However, there are currently no reports in the U.S. of the virus being passed from humans to animals.)