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Mpox

Overview

Mpox (previously named monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease that is caused by infection with mpox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus. Mpox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. The first human case of mpox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. Since then, mpox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone.  Source: CDC

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Mpox

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• JYNNEOS

Fact Sheets & Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Clinician FAQs

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