Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox; 1) has been making the news lately. The declaration by the WHO Director-General naming mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC; 2) has a lot of people wondering what it is, how it spreads and how concerned they should be. Understandably, we are all a little jumpy when we start hearing about a new viral disease, but the virus that causes mpox (monkeypox virus) isn’t new.

A member of the Poxviridae family, the monkeypox virus is closely related to the variola virus that causes smallpox; however, monkeypox causes milder symptoms and is less fatal (1). While the virus gained its unfortunate name from its discovery in monkeys in 1958 (3), the original source of the disease remains unknown. The virus exists in a wide range of mammals including rodents, anteaters, hedgehogs, prairie dogs, squirrels and shrews (4) and can spread to humans through close contact with an infected individual or animal. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle and back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion (3). The most distinguishing symptom is the blister-like rash.

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