The Monkeypox virus: origins and outbreaks
From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic
Context: With cases being reported from across the world, monkeypox has caught everyone’s attention. The present outbreak has a toll of over 220 confirmed cases spread across 19 countries. U.K., Spain and Portugal are leading the pack with the highest number of confirmed cases but no deaths reported to date.
What is the Monkeypox virus?
- Monkeypox is not a new virus. The virus, belonging to the poxvirus family of viruses, was first identified in monkeys way back in 1958, and therefore the name.
- The first human case was described in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and many sporadic outbreaks of animal to human as well as human to human transmission have occurred in Central and West Africa in the past with significant mortality.
- After the elimination of smallpox, monkeypox has become one of the dominant poxviruses in humans, with
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