Monkeypox: A New Health Challenge and How We Can Respond
Ms. Pragati Kumari GIP, Geeta University, Naultha, Panipat Introduction: Monkeypox is a zoonotic illness caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the Orthopox virus genus, including viruses like variola (smallpox), vaccinia, and cowpox. Initially detected in 1958, experiments on monkeys showed the virus mainly exists in rodents, occasionally spilling over into primates, including humans. Human monkeypox was first discovered in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is native, and has since been recorded in numerous other countries, primarily in Central and West Africa. Nevertheless, an incident in 2003 in the United States, caused by imported animals, marked a significant turning point in the global understanding of the disease. In the year 2022, an an extraordinary global rise in monkeypox cases was observed outside of Africa, highlighting the illness's capacity to disseminate worldwide. Epidemiology and Spread: Monkeypox is primaril...