Public health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported the Western hemisphere's first outbreak of monkeypox among humans. At least thirty-three possible cases have been reported, the majority of them in Wisconsin. All of those with confirmed cases of the disease are believed to have come in contact with infected pet prairie dogs. Minnesota State Epidemiologist Dr. Harry Hull says the monkeypox outbreak in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana highlights the health threats wild animals can pose. Hull says he expects the number of confirmed cases to rise as more human and animal samples are tested, but says the disease isn't extremely contagious.