A general view of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday it had removed a mask recommendation from its monkeypox travel notice to avoid 鈥渃onfusion鈥� over the disease, which primarily spreads through direct contact.
鈥淟ate yesterday, CDC removed the mask recommendation from the monkeypox Travel Health Notice because it caused confusion,鈥� a CDC spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The agency had earlier suggested that travellers wear masks as it can help protect against 鈥渕any diseases, including monkeypox鈥�.
As per the CDC鈥檚 website, while the disease spreads primarily through direct contact with infectious sores, scabs, or body fluids, 鈥渋t also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact鈥�.
Around 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, with more than 911 confirmed or suspected cases mostly in Europe.
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