Q&A on Monkeypox

In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a viral outbreak once again has health officials concerned. This time, it’s monkeypox, a much less dangerous relative of smallpox.

In early May, cases of the disease began cropping up in Europe and other places outside of Central and West Africa, where monkeypox is endemic, including the U.S. Most of the monkeypox patients aren’t known to have recently traveled to endemic areas, indicating the virus is spreading person-to-person.

With hundreds of confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases reported before the end of the month, the outbreak is abnormally large. But experts say while the situation is worrying, the risk to most individuals is very low.

Here, we explain what monkeypox is, what makes the outbreak unusual, and why it’s important to take seriously but unlikely to play out like the coronavirus. 

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which is in the same orthopoxvirus genus and poxvirus family as the more lethal and contagious smallpox virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As with other poxviruses, monkeypox is known for a characteristic rash, and is similar in presentation to smallpox, although it will cause lymph nodes to swell and is otherwise less severe.

Monkeypox is a zoonosis, meaning that the virus is transmitted to people from animals. People typically become infected sporadically in the forested parts of Central and West Africa, after an interaction with an infected animal. Once infected, people can spread the virus to others, but that requires close contact.

The monkeypox name stems from the disease’s discovery in lab monkeys in 1958, but monkeypox virus is not found exclusively or even primarily in monkeys. Many species, including rope and tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, and dormice, are able to harbor the monkeypox virus. The natural host and source