The Associated Press said, citing BTA, that health officials are telling monkeypox patients to keep their pets away since the animals may get afflicted as well.

In light of the ongoing spread of the illness in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been sounding this alarm for months.

A instance of an Italian greyhound catching the illness virus in France was published last week in the Lancet, drawing increased attention to the warning.

In this case, the dog’s owners are a male pair, and it shares their bed at night. Monkeypox is contagious and causes rashes and other symptoms in males. The dog eventually developed a skin rash and was found to have distemper.

Rodents and other wild animals may potentially carry and transmit the monkeypox virus to people.

The CDC recommends keeping pets apart from other animals and humans for 21 days following their last interaction with a sick person with symptoms.