Human monkeypox

Abstract

Human monkeypox is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus with a presentation similar to smallpox. Clinical differentiation of the disease from smallpox and varicella is difficult. Laboratory diagnostics are principal components to identification and surveillance of disease, and new tests are needed for a more precise and rapid diagnosis. The majority of human infections occur in Central Africa, where surveillance in rural areas with poor infrastructure is difficult but can be accomplished with evidence-guided tools and educational materials to inform public health workers of important principles. Contemporary epidemiological studies are needed now that populations do not receive routine smallpox vaccination. New therapeutics and vaccines offer hope for the treatment and prevention of monkeypox; however, more research must be done before they are ready to be deployed in an endemic setting. There is a need for more research in the epidemiology, ecology, and biology of the virus in endemic areas to better understand and prevent human infections.

Keywords: Orthopoxvirus; monkeypox; smallpox.

Figure 1

Cervical lymphadenopathy in a patient with active monkeypox during a monkeypox outbreak in Zaire, 1996–1997. Photograph credit: Dr Brian W. J. Mahy; provided by the Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Figure 2

A patient with monkeypox showing characteristic lesions. Photograph credit: Dr Marcel Pie Balilo.