The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging people not to attack monkeys as the number of monkeypox cases continue to grow.
It comes after reports that at least 10 monkeys were poisoned in Brazil, NBC News reports.
The monkeys all showed signs of intoxication after they were rescued.
The Environmental Military Police in Brazil believes the attacks were carried out by people fearful of contracting monkeypox.
Symptoms of the viral disease include the development of a rash resembling blisters on a person's face, hands, feet and genitals up to 21 days after infection. Other symptoms include a fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, a headache and respiratory symptoms, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"What people need to know is that the transmission we are seeing is happening between humans," said WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris.
She said that the name 'monkeypox' was chosen because the virus was supposed to identify in a group of monkeys living in a zoological garden in Denmark.
“The concern should be where it is occurring in the human population, and what humans should be doing to protect themselves from getting it," Harris said.
“They should certainly not be attacking any animals."
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Seven monkeys died while three others are being rehabilitated at a zoo in São Jose do Rio Preto, in São Polo.
Police are still considering whether to treat the situation as criminal.
Brazilian police have been patrolling areas near the woods to prevent further poisonings.
The WHO is currently working to change the name of the virus to be more fitting with how it works.
There are currently 31,800 reported cases of monkeypox worldwide.
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