The contamination occurred despite the patients reporting showering once or twice each day, performing hand hygiene approximately 10 times daily, laundering bedding and clothing weekly, and performing routine household cleaning, such as mopping and daily use of a multi-surface spray on most high-contact surfaces, the authors said. Osterholm is the director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, publisher of CIDRAP News. The preponderance of data indicates it's being transmitted through direct physical contact, whether sexual or non-sexual.' 'The epidemiologic data we have so far in this outbreak support that people are not contracting monkeypox through touching contaminated surfaces. Infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, however, put the findings in perspecitive. The investigators attempted to grow live virus in the lab from PCR-positive samples but noted, 'No specimen yielded a positive viral culture result.' The swabbed areas included those from all three porous items (cloth furniture and blankets), 17 of 25 (68%) nonporous surfaces (handles and switches), and one of two mixed-surface types (chairs). Of the 30 specimens, 21 (70%) yielded positive real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results, indicating the presence of monkeypox virus DNA. Agents collected samples from 30 objects in nine areas of the home. The two case-patients, who acquired the disease while traveling internationally, had isolated at home for 20 days before their home was entered for sampling by officials from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHHS).

Editor's note: This story was updated on Aug 19 with a quote from CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, about the most common monkeypox transmission routes.Ī study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows multiple surface sites testing positive for monkeypox virus genetic material in a household of two people infected with monkeypox in Utah.

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