The widening monkeypox outbreak is sparking concern that the virus could spread among a surprising cohort particularly prone to transmitting contagious infections: kids.
Experts at the World Health Organization said this week that they are watching the potential for spread among children “extremely closely.” Already, more than 80 kids across several countries have contracted monkeypox, largely through household contacts, the agency said in a media briefing.
While that’s a tiny fraction of the more than 18,000 monkeypox cases around the world—with most concentrated among men who have sex with men—the prospect of community transmission is raising the specter that the virus could establish itself in other populations, such as women and children. The disease’s rapid spread has prompted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
