The main transmission routes of the monkeypox virus are as follows:

Close Contact Transmission

• Direct Contact
  Direct contact with the skin lesions of a monkeypox patient, such as touching the patient’s herpes or pustules, allows the virus to enter the human body through tiny breaks in the skin or mucous membranes, leading to infection. For example, when taking care of a monkeypox patient without appropriate protective measures, direct contact with the patient’s affected areas poses a significant risk of infection.
• Indirect Contact
  Contact with items contaminated by the monkeypox virus, such as the patient’s used clothes, bedding, towels, tableware, etc., may also result in monkeypox virus infection. These items may carry residual viruses. After a healthy person comes into contact with them, the virus can be transmitted to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth through hand contact, or enter the body through damaged skin.

Respiratory Droplet Transmission

When in close proximity to a monkeypox patient, the droplets generated by the patient when coughing, sneezing, or talking may contain the monkeypox virus. A healthy person may become infected after inhaling these virus – containing droplets. Generally, the risk of droplet transmission is higher during close contact within a distance of about 1 meter, especially in relatively enclosed and poorly ventilated environments, such as indoor hospital wards and crowded public transportation. In such environments, the virus is more likely to be transmitted to others through droplets.

Mother – to – Child Transmission

Pregnant women with monkeypox may transmit the virus to the fetus or newborn during pregnancy, childbirth, or after childbirth. During pregnancy, the virus may be transmitted to the fetus through the placenta, causing congenital infection. During childbirth, the fetus may be infected by coming into contact with the virus – containing secretions of the birth canal as it passes through. After childbirth, if the mother has close contact with the newborn, such as breastfeeding, the virus may also be transmitted to the newborn.

Animal Transmission

The monkeypox virus can spread among some animals and can also be transmitted from animals to humans. For example, humans may become infected with the monkeypox virus by directly contacting infected animals such as monkeys and rodents, including their blood, body fluids, skin lesions, or being bitten by an infected animal. In addition, consuming undercooked meat from animals infected with the monkeypox virus may also lead to the transmission of the virus to humans.