Epidemic Alert: Addressing the Challenges of Monkeypox in a Globalized World

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a re-emerging zoonotic Orthopoxvirus that has evolved from a regionally confined pathogen in Central and West Africa to a global public health concern. It was first identified in laboratory monkeys in 1958 and in humans in 1970 at the Democratic Republic of the Congo. MPXV is a double-stranded DNA virus with two primary clades: Clade I (Congo Basin), which is more virulent and Clade II (West African) (WHO, 2025). Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, lesions, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials, as well as through zoonotic spillover. Emerging data also suggest reverse zoonosis and possible sexual transmission (Bunge et al., 2022). Clinically, it presents with fever, lymphadenopathy and a characteristic vesiculo-pustular rashes with a centrifugal distribution. Though often self-limiting, complications such as ocular damage, pneumonia or sepsis may arise, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, children and pregnant women (Kaler et al., 2022).