MONKEY POX:

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Monkey pox is a rare viral disease that occurs mostly in central and western Africa. It is called “monkey pox” because it was first found in 1958 in laboratory monkeys. There are two biological strains of monkey pox virus -- one on the west coast of Africa and the other in the Congo basin. A small outbreak occurred in the U.S. in 2003, but because most people who contracted the disease had been given the smallpox vaccine, the outbreak was not serious.

Cause: People can get monkey pox from an animal with the disease if they are bitten or if they touch the animal’s blood, body fluids or its rash. The disease also can spread from person to person through large respiratory droplets during long periods of face-to-face contact or by touching body fluids of a sick person.

Symptoms: The signs and symptoms of monkey pox are like those of smallpox, but usually they are milder. Monkey pox also causes the lymph nodes to swell. About 12 days after people are infected with the virus they will get fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monkey Pox

Official website for Center for Disease Control and Prevention

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