How long does Monkeypox live on clothes?

In one study, investigators found a live virus 15 days after a patient’s home was left unoccupied. Studies show that other closely related orthopoxviruses can survive in an environment similar to a household, for weeks or months.

Monkeypox virus is a double-stranded DNA, zoonotic virus and a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus in the family Poxiviridae. It is one of the human orthopoxviruses that includes variola, cowpox and vaccinia viruses.

Variation in virulence of the virus has been observed in isolated from Central Africa where strains are more virulent than those from Western Africa.

The two areas have distinct clades of the virus, termed Congo Basin and West African clades.