The fast-spreading monkeypox virus led the World Health Organization (WHO ) to declare a “public health emergency of international concern ” this month .
He added : “We have an outbreak that has spread … through new modes of transmission , about which we understand too little .”
In recent years , the health agency has issued such declarations on COVID-19 , Ebola , and the Zika viruses .
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) says that monkeypox is part of the same virus family as smallpox .
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 among groups of monkeys used for research .
The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 .
The virus spreads mainly through close contact with an infected person .
Until this year , the viral disease has rarely spread outside Africa .
But reports of new cases in Europe and other places signaled that the outbreak had spread around the world .
Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox but milder .
Most patients only experience fever , aches , and tiredness .
Some may develop a rash with cuts on their face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body .
The sickness usually lasts two to four weeks .
A pregnant woman can also pass the virus to her fetus .
Unlike the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic , monkeypox does not spread easily over the air .
Health officials from several countries urged the WHO to declare monkeypox a public health emergency as the disease spread quickly in the past month .
From June to July , the WHO reported that cases of monkeypox had increased from 3,040 to more than 16,000 .
The number of countries with infections have also gone up from 47 to 75 .
Officials were especially concerned that the disease has spread quickly among people who did not travel to Africa where the disease is endemic .
That means it has become permanently established in an area .
The emergency declaration usually brings more resources and action to deal with the outbreak .
It also pushes countries to work together on testing and producing vaccines and treatments for the disease .
For now , the WHO said the risk of monkeypox is “moderate ” around the world , except in Europe where it listed the risk as “high .”
CDC health officials advise that people should avoid close , skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox .
In Central and West Africa , the CDC says people should avoid contact with animals that can spread the monkeypox virus , such as monkeys and rodents .
And they should also avoid sick or dead animals .
At this time , health officials are still learning whether children and people with existing health problems are more at risk of the disease .
If you are sick with monkeypox , health officials say you should remain isolated .
There is no cure for monkeypox .
U.S . and European health officials say antivirals , such as tecovirimat , may be given to people who are more likely to get severely sick .
That group includes patients with weakened immune systems .
Health officials in Europe and the U.S . have also recently announced that they will send out monkeypox vaccines to affected communities .