随着美国卫生与公众服务部宣布猴痘爆发突发公共卫生事件作为的数量病例继续上升，你能做的最重要的事情就是知道自己的风险水平。猴痘仍然很罕见，大多数人的风险很低。
但是如果你在一个猴痘正在传播的城市，并且在一个它正在传播的社区，你在疫情的现阶段有更高的风险。
猴痘的爆发首先开始在男男性行为者中传播，这一群体包括同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者和非双性恋者。该集团仍然面临最高风险。到目前为止，大部分病例都发生在纽约和洛杉矶这样的大城市。
作为疫情仍在继续，病毒可能很快开始进一步传播，并开始影响不同的人群。
接受ABC新闻采访的专家提供了如何保持安全的最新信息。除了这些建议之外，专家们还重申，目前向普通人群传播的风险较低。但是他们一致认为，每个人都应该意识到目前的疫情，并采取措施降低风险。
警惕:避免与可能携带病毒的人近距离或皮肤接触
“直接、密切、皮肤与皮肤的接触”被认为是主要的传播途径，它可以以多种方式发生。它可以通过日常近距离接触猴痘病例发生，也可以通过亲密接触以及性接触发生，”哥伦比亚大学流行病学和医学教授Wafaa El-Sadr博士说。
西奈山伊坎医学院的医学教授理查德·西尔维拉说，因为猴痘可以在性亲密行为中传播，所以“对你的亲密伴侣诚实和坦率地”谈论风险和可能的既往暴露是很重要的。
疾控中心说，猴痘从症状开始到皮疹痊愈是会传染的。两到四周是典型的患病时间。
“你可以在身体的多个部位出现皮疹，皮疹可能看起来像许多东西。它可能看起来像一个丘疹，可能看起来像一个类似毛囊炎的小肿块，当毛囊受到感染时，它可能是无痛或疼痛的，”NYU·朗戈内健康中心的传染病医生罗伯特·皮茨博士说。
不要共用:避免共用毛巾、衣物和床单
加州大学洛杉矶分校的流行病学教授Anne Rimoin博士说，病毒可以通过被污染的物体传播，包括“衣服、床单、毛巾和其他多孔材料”。
虽然这种传播方式没有皮肤接触那么普遍，但在与他人分享物品时要记住这一点。
“这种病毒可以在这些表面生存一段时间，然后传播给另一个人，”里穆恩说。
这疾控中心还建议避免猴痘患者使用的器具或杯子。
一般卫生:用肥皂和水洗手或使用含酒精的洗手液
“手卫生是最重要的事情，不仅对猴痘，对任何传染病都是如此，”ABC新闻首席医学记者詹妮弗·阿什顿博士说。
手是我们接触的所有物体之间的媒介，也是细菌进入的地方——眼、鼻、口——手卫生对保持健康至关重要。过去两年行之有效的做法现在仍然有效。
“戴口罩，洗手...如果对COVID有效，对猴痘也有效，”Silvera说
穿上衣服:穿上衣服可能会更安全，尤其是在遇到人群的时候
为了减少与可能感染病毒的人皮肤接触的可能性，穿上遮盖身体的衣服。
疾病预防控制中心表示，“节日、活动和音乐会上，参与者穿着完整，不太可能有皮肤接触，这比类似的活动中穿着最少的衣服和近距离接触更安全”。
“这些事件不太可能发生传播，但当然，如果你觉得自己属于高风险类别，你可能需要多加小心，”他说。约翰·布朗斯坦博士，美国广播公司新闻撰稿人，波士顿儿童医院首席创新官。
消毒:擦拭可能被污染的表面
猴痘被认为是正痘病毒，它对许多消毒剂敏感，根据疾病控制中心的说法。他们建议对猴痘患者待过的地方以及他们可能使用过的物品进行消毒。
“与此同时，人们不需要回到过去的COVID时代，那里有很多混乱，擦拭食品杂货和消毒家居用品，没有任何风险，”布朗斯坦说。
对于那些特别是在高传播区域的人，或者正在接触猴痘患者使用过的表面或物体的人，消毒可以提供额外的保护。
CDC建议使用EPA注册消毒剂。
如果符合条件，接种疫苗:联系当地卫生部门
疾控中心目前建议，应该给那些有患猴痘风险的人注射疫苗。这包括那些接触过猴痘的人，以及知道他们的一个性伴侣在过去两周内被确诊的人，或者在过去两周内有多个性伴侣的人，他们生活在已知患有猴痘的地区。人们应该与当地卫生部门保持联系，以确定资格要求。
“如果我们有更多的[疫苗]供应，我们可能会考虑为具有非常密集的社会网络的群体接种疫苗，如大学、学生、监狱、可能允许多重接触的生活环境，这些地方可能存在风险，”布朗斯坦说。
保持最新:当新信息到来时，保持警惕
西尔维拉说:“我们必须一起努力，并在前进的过程中解决这个问题。”。
甚至研究人员和临床医生每天都在了解更多。
“作为一名传染病医生，我研究过猴痘，但就在今年5月，我开始观察猴痘患者，并与他们互动。所以对我来说，这是一个陡峭的学习曲线，”皮茨说。
在此之前，猴痘病例的数量相对较低。随着时间的推移，我们将继续了解更多关于该病毒的信息，专家的指导也将随之发展。但是专家强调保持冷静很重要。
萨德尔说:“这与冠状病毒在很多方面都有很大不同，因此我认为人们应该意识到这一点，感到担忧，但同时也不应该真正恐慌。”。
7 ways to reduce your risk of monkeypox
With the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declaring the monkeypox outbreaka public health emergencyas the number ofcases continue to rise, the most important thing you can do is know your risk level. Monkeypox is still rare and most people have a low risk.
But if you are in a city where monkeypox is spreading, and in a community where it's spreading, you are at higher risk in this current phase of the outbreak.
The monkeypox outbreak first started spreading among men who have sex with men, a group that includes people who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender and nonbinary. The group continues to be at the highest risk. So far, the bulk of cases have been reported in large cities like New York and Los Angeles.
As theoutbreak continues, the virus may soon start to spread further and begin to affect different demographic groups.
Experts interviewed by ABC News provided the latest on how to stay safe. Alongside these suggestions, the experts reiterated that at this time, the risk of transmission to the general population is low. But they agreed everyone should be aware of current outbreak and take steps to reduce risk.
Be alert: Avoid close or skin-to-skin contact with those who may have the virus
Direct, close, skin-to-skin contact "is considered to be the main route of transmission, which can occur in a variety of ways. It can occur just by day-to-day contact with a case of monkeypox, in close proximity, or can occur through intimate contact, as well as during sexual contact," said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University.
Because monkeypox can spread during sexual intimacy, it's important to "be honest and forthcoming with your intimate partners" about risks and possible prior exposures, said Richard Silvera, professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The CDC says monkeypox is contagious from the start of symptoms until the rash has healed. Two to four weeks is the typical length of illness.
"You can have a rash in multiple areas of the body, and that rash can look like many things. It can look like a pimple, it can look like a little bump that mimics folliculitis which is when the follicle of the hair gets infected, can be painless or painful," said Dr. Robert Pitts, an infectious disease doctor at NYU Langone Health.
Don't share: Avoid sharing towels, clothing and bed linens
The virus can spread through contaminated objects including "clothing, bed sheets, towels, and other porous materials," says Dr. Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
While this form of transmission is not nearly as common as skin-to-skin contact, it is something to keep in mind when sharing items with others.
"This virus could live on those surfaces for a period of time and then spread to another person," Rimoin said.
TheCDC also recommendsavoiding utensils or cups used by someone with monkeypox.
General hygiene: Wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
"Hand hygiene is the most important thing, not just for monkeypox but for any infectious disease," says ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
With hands being the vectors between all that we touch and where germs can enter-- eyes, nose, mouth -- hand hygiene is vital to staying healthy. Practices that have worked for the past two years, still work.
"Mask wearing, hand washing...if it works for COVID it'll work for monkeypox as well," says Silvera
Cover up: Being fully clothed may be safer, especially when encountering large crowds
To reduce the likelihood of skin-to-skin contact with someone who may be infected with the virus, wear clothing that covers your body.
The CDC says "festivals, events, and concerts where attendees are fully clothed and unlikely to share skin-to-skin contact are safer," when compared to similar events with minimal clothing and close contact.
"These are not events where transmission is likely occurring, but of course, if you feel like you're in a high risk category, you may want to exercise a little bit more caution," says. Dr. John Brownstein, an ABC News contributor and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital.
Disinfect: Wipe down surfaces that may be contaminated
Monkeypox is considered an orthopoxvirus, which are sensitive to many disinfectants,according to the CDC. They recommend disinfecting areas where someone with monkeypox has spent time, and for objects they may have used.
"At the same time, it's not like people will need to go back to those old COVID days where there was a lot of confusion and wiping down of groceries and disinfecting household items where there's literally no chance of any risk," says Brownstein.
For those specifically in areas of high transmission, or are encountering surfaces or objects used by someone with monkeypox, disinfecting may provide additional protection.
The CDC recommends using anEPA registered disinfectant.
If eligible, get vaccinated: Reach out to a local health department
The CDC currently recommends that vaccines should be administered to those at risk of developing monkeypox. This includes those that have been exposed to monkeypox as well as people who are aware that one of their sexual partners in the past two weeks has been diagnosed or people with multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks living in an area with known monkeypox. People should stay up-to-date with their local health department to determine eligibility requirements.
"If we had a lot more [vaccine] supply, we might consider vaccination of groups that have very dense social networks, like college colleges, students, prisons, living situations that would potentially allow for multiple contacts where there could be risk," says Brownstein.
Stay current: Be on the lookout for new information as it comes
"We're all going to have to kind of pitch it together and kind of figure this out as we go," said Silvera.
Even researchers and clinicians are learning more every day.
"I studied about [monkeypox] as an infectious disease physician, but just in May, I started to see and interact with monkeypox patients. So this has been a steep learning curve for me," said Pitts.
Before now, the number of monkeypox cases has been relatively low. We will continue to learn more about the virus as time goes on and the guidance from experts will evolve as a result. But experts emphasize that remaining calm is important.
"This is quite different from the Coronavirus in so many ways and therefore I think people should be aware, concerned, but at the same time should not really panic," said El-Sadr.
