8 Things You Need To Know About Monkeypox

1. It is caused by a smallpox-like virus.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus that is closely related to smallpox, which has now been eradicated from the planet. Both are members of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when outbreaks of disease-causing pox were discovered in monkeys kept for research. It was first seen in humans in 1970 and it is now endemic in Central and West Africa.