Though the case count is small, health officials are concerned that the virus could be spreading through a novel, as-yet-undetected mode of transmission. People typically contract the disease by coming into contact with an infected animal's bodily fluid. Despite the name, it typically gets transmitted by rodents, not monkeys, in West or Central Africa, per NPR. Once the virus reaches a human host, it's not a particularly contagious disease and is typically only spread via close contact with bodily fluids, such as saliva or pus from the pox.