What is Monkeypox?

Let's starts with the symptoms and how it spreads. Please consider What Is Monkeypox? What to Know About Symptoms, Vaccines and How It Spreads

The monkeypox outbreak, which was first detected in the U.K., has now led to more than 15,300 cases across about five dozen countries where it isn't typically seen, including many in Europe and the Americas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Until recently, monkeypox was rarely found outside certain parts of West and Central Africa. In the U.S., 5,800 cases have been confirmed, federal health officials said.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that circulates mostly among rodents in parts of West and Central Africa. It was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in research monkeys, hence its name.

Early symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, chills and exhaustion. The incubation period, the number of days between exposure and the first signs of symptoms, is six to 13 days but it can be longer, according to Sylvie Briand, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the WHO.