Monkeypox is a viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus belonging to the orthopox virus family . It is closely related to the variola virus that causes smallpox.

"The original source of Monkey Pox is still unknown, but it is believed that it probably originated from rodents,"says Dr. Drews. "Monkeys and humans are accidental families, and monkey pox infections are usually transmitted through contact with infected body fluids or bites."

The majority of monkeypox infections occur in areas where the virus is endemic, including many central and West African countries.
"Monkey pox can also occur in people who come into contact with infected people or animals from these endemic areas, but that is less common," says Dr. Droz.

Indeed, just last summer, a Texan traveling from Nigeria tested positive for the monkey pox virus. This was the first case in the United States in almost 20 years - since the outbreak of the disease in 2003, when more than 70 people were infected with it after handling prairie dogs imported from Ghana. It was then decided that the prairie dogs were housed with infected rodents.

At the moment, the source of the current outbreak of the disease around the world is not fully understood.
However, officials stated that this is the first documented example of the spread of monkeypox among people in a non-endemic environment that is not related to travel to an endemic environment.

What are the symptoms of Monkey Pox disease

Monkey pox is mainly characterized by a generalized rash accompanied by skin wounds. The rash is contagious.
"Skin wounds often start on the face before they spread to other parts of the body," says Dr. Droz. "In the days before the rash appears, affected individuals experience nonspecific flu - like symptoms, including fever, headache, fatigue, and body aches."
However, the disease in its current prevalence seems to mutate a little differently than in previous cases.

According to Dr. Droz, "many current cases have appeared with a rash that starts in the groin or perianal area and sometimes the skin wounds have not spread to other parts of the body,"he said.

It is noteworthy that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that the currently circulating strain of monkeypox - the West African strain - is the mildest of the two existing strains of the disease. Where the Congo Basin (Central African) strain causes a more serious disease.

The spread of the current disease by a milder strain of the virus may explain the reason for the appearance of rashes without fever in many modern cases.

"The rash can be confused with a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as syphilis or herpes, or also with chickenpox," says Dr. Droz.

Dr. Droz adds that anyone who develops an unexplained rash should be evaluated as soon as possible while avoiding intimate contact or face-to-face with other people.