The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now warning American travelers to “practice enhanced precautions” as monkeypox spreads worldwide, although agency officials said the virus doesn’t easily spread via the air.
Monkeypox, a viral illness in the same family as smallpox, was been identified in about 15 countries, including the United States, according to the World Health Organization. The virus is considered endemic in several African countries and is rarely found outside of the continent.
The CDC, which issued the Level 2 travel health alert, said that cases have been reported in Australia, North America, and Europe.
“None of these people reported having recently been in central or west African countries where monkeypox usually occurs, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, among others,” the CDC said in its health notice, adding that the “risk to the general public is low.”…