Monkeypox virus: Disease Agent, Background, Characteristics, Common Human Exposure Routes, and Treatment
A member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, which also includes camelpox, cowpox, vaccinia, and variola viruses, is the monkeypox virus. The World Health Organization confirmed in 1980 that the virus is the main orthopoxvirus infecting human populations since smallpox elimination. In the resource-limited endemic regions where monkeypox is found, clinical detection, diagnosis, and prevention still pose difficulties. Studies carried out before the conclusion of smallpox eradication provide information on monkeypox epidemiology, but additional evaluations are required now that routine smallpox vaccination has finished and there is associated declining herd immunity. To further inform preventative strategies and gain a better understanding of the animal species involved in virus transmission and maintenance, basic ecological studies are also required