mpox

Also known as monkey pox, monkeypox, monkeypox virus infection

Mpox (, ; originally known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, as well as fever and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild, and most infected individuals recover within a few weeks without treatment. The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms ranges from three to seventeen days, and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. However, cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women, or people with suppressed immune systems.

AI overview

Mpox is a viral disease that spreads to humans and animals, causing symptoms like a blister-forming rash, fever, and swollen lymph nodes that typically resolve within a few weeks. While most cases are mild and resolve without treatment, the disease can be more severe in children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical condition.name: Mpox
Medical condition.image: Monkeypox.jpg
Medical condition.caption: Mpox rash on arm and leg of a four-year-old girl in 1971
Medical condition.alt: A rash caused by mpox
Medical condition.caption2: Video summary of Mpox
Medical condition.pronounce: ,
Medical condition.field: Infectious disease
Medical condition.symptoms: Rash, fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, sore throat
Medical condition.complications: Secondary infections, pneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, loss of vision with severe eye infection
Medical condition.onset: 3–17 days post exposure
Medical condition.duration: 2 to 4 weeks
Medical condition.types: CladeI, CladeII; subclades Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb
Medical condition.causes: Monkeypox virus
Medical condition.diagnosis: Testing for viral DNA
Medical condition.differential: Chickenpox, smallpox
Medical condition.prevention: Smallpox & mpox vaccine, hand washing, covering rash, PPE, social distancing
Medical condition.treatment: Supportive
Medical condition.medication: Tecovirimat, antivirals

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

5,641 papers

Mpox (formerly monkeypox): pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment.ReviewSignal transduction and targeted therapy · 2023Lu J, Xing H, Wang C et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01675-2
Mpox: Global epidemic situation and countermeasures.ReviewVirulence · 2025Hou W, Wu N, Liu Y et al.DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2025.2457958
Mpox diagnostics: Review of current and emerging technologies.ReviewJournal of medical virology · 2023Lim CK, Roberts J, Moso M et al.DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28429
Mpox: disease manifestations and therapeutic development.ReviewJournal of virology · 2025Wang Y, Wang X, Doğan T et al.DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00152-25
Mpox.Pediatric emergency care · 2023Jafari K, Woodward GADOI: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000003063
Mpox and HIV-Collision of Two Diseases.ReviewCurrent HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Zucker J, Hazra A, Titanji BKDOI: 10.1007/s11904-023-00682-w
Mpox and HIV: a Narrative Review.ReviewCurrent HIV/AIDS reports · 2023Saldana CS, Kelley CF, Aldred BM et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11904-023-00661-1
Mpox diagnosis at POC.ReviewTrends in biotechnology · 2025Yigci D, Ergönül Ö, Tasoglu SDOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.015

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Monkeypox.jpg

Show 8 more facts

ICPC 2 ID: A76
exact match: identifiers.org/doid/DOID:3292
NCI Thesaurus ID: C128421
ICD-9-CM: 136.8
Commons category: Mpox
minimal incubation period in humans: 4
maximal incubation period in humans: 20
P8168: RFP

Sources (10)

via Wikidata · CC0

~29 min read

Article

29 sections

Contents

Nomenclature
Signs and symptoms
Complications
Outcome
Deaths
In other animals
Cause
Transmission
Diagnosis
Prevention
Vaccine
Other measures
Treatment
Diagnostics in resource limited settings
Epidemiology
History
Future threat
Outbreaks
United States
Sudan
Nigeria
United Kingdom
Singapore
2022–2023 global outbreak
2023–2024 Central Africa outbreak
2025-2026
See also
References
External links

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus. The variola virus, which causes smallpox, is also in this genus. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact. People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed. The virus may spread from infected animals through handling infected meat or via bites or scratches. Diagnosis can be confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing a lesion for the virus's DNA.