Reemergence of Monkeypox: Prevalence, Diagnostics, and Counter Measures

Monkeypox is an emerging zoonotic disease recognized as the most important orthopoxvirus infection in humans in the smallpox post - eradication era. While monkeypox is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has been reported in other countries of Central and West Africa as well. The disease was also imported once into the USA. It manifests with the same symptoms as smallpox, including flu - like symptoms, fever, malaise, headache, back pain, and characteristic rash. New medications and vaccinations showed promising results for the treatment and prevention of the disease, but more studies are required to show their efficacy in the actual endemic settings. The monkeypox virus is considered a high threat pathogen causing a disease of public health importance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to focus on building surveillance capacities which will provide valuable information for designing appropriate prevention, preparedness and response activities.