Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis ( a virus transmitted to humans from animals ) that shares its lineage with the variola virus – the virus that causes smallpox . Monkeypox symptoms are typically milder than smallpox and cases are rarely fatal , but , recently , the virus has become a primary concern for public health officials in smallpoxfree areas across the globe .

Virus discovered in monkeys in Copenhagen

The monkeypox virus was first identified in laboratory monkeys that were being used for polio vaccine research in Copenhagen , Denmark . Interestingly , these Asian monkeys from Singapore didn ’ t contract the virus until two months after their arrival in Denmark – and the reason is yet to be explained .

First human case in Central Africa

The first human case of monkeypox was detected in a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . For the next three decades , monkeypox outbreaks were isolated to Central and West Africa . Two variations were identified : the more severe Congo Basin clade and the West African clade .

14 September 2022