Pet owners with monkeypox will reportedly be advised to avoid close contact with their animals over fears that the virus could spread to them with terrible consequences for wildlife.
The advice will be issued by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs later this week with the warning of a potential risk of human-to-animal transmission laid out, reports the Daily Mail.
It follows the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) having stated that the virus has the potential to spread to pets and then into nature.
Seven more cases of monkeypox have been identified in England, in latest figures from health officials.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the new cases bring the UK total since May 7 to 78.
Among these cases, 77 were identified in England and one case has been reported in Scotland. As of May 24, no cases had been identified in Wales or Northern Ireland.
People with unusual rashes or lesions, particularly if they have had a new sexual partner, have been urged to contact NHS 111 or their local sexual health clinic.
But health officials stressed people should phone ahead before attending in person.
Justine Shotton, president of the British Veterinary Association, backed the advice of people taking care with their pets.
"It would be a sensible decision to keep your distance from a pet while in quarantine,’ she told the Daily Mail.
"If I was diagnosed with monkeypox I would do whatever I could to limit contact, such as asking a friend or relative to take care of it."
She added: ‘There is currently no evidence of transmission between humans and cats and dogs but we know rabbits and rodents are susceptible.
The ECDC said it is important to: "manage exposed pets and prevent the disease from being transmitted to wildlife", reported the Daily Record.
They warned that rodents could be effective hosts for the disease, and could spread the virus more effectively than humans.
The announcement said: "If human-to-animal transmission occurs, and the virus spreads in an animal population, there is a risk that the disease could become endemic in Europe.
"Rodents, and particularly species of the family of Sciuridae (squirrels) are likely to be suitable hosts, more so than humans, and transmission from humans to (pet) animals is theoretically possible.
"Such a spill-over event could potentially lead to the virus establishing in European wildlife and the disease becoming an endemic zoonosis. The probability of this spill-over event is very low."
Monkeypox is typically spread between people through physical contact, although it can also spread through contaminated foods, coughing or sneezing, and also contaminated animals.
The UK Health Security Agency has called the spread "significant and concerning", but have added that "risk to the UK population remains low".
Prof David Robertson, of the Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, told the Telegraph that the virus spreading to animals is a “valid concern”.
He said: “It would seem sensible to monitor any animals/pets that infected people are in contact with."
