There are three ways you can catch monkeypox: Direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person; touching contaminated surfaces, objects, or fabrics; and contact with respiratory secretions like mucus. So far, the majority of people who have contracted the virus in the US are men who reported having sex with other men, though it’s unclear if transmission is occurring in these communities during other activities, too, like hugging, partying, etc.

The infection is primarily spread through prolonged rubbing against an infected person who has rashes, scabs, or lesions on their skin, which can resemble a tiny pimple or a pus-filled bump that can be as big as a marble. Infection can be avoided by washing body parts that have briefly come into contact with the infection before touching your face, mouth, nose, or genitals.

There isn’t enough data to know for sure the likelihood of contracting monkeypox by touching contaminated surfaces or materials. It's possible to get sick this way if you’re living with an infected person, sharing the same surfaces and materials for hours or days at a time. But for now, experts say not to worry about getting sick from activities like touching groceries, using public transit, or going to the gym, where surface contact is brief and infrequent.

The CDC says you can catch monkeypox by coming in contact with respiratory secretions, which could mean physically touching mucus from a sneeze, for example, or inhaling them when sharing space with a sick person. However, epidemiologists emphasized that the most dominant way people can catch monkeypox is from direct skin contact.