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Mpox: What You Need to Know

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IDSA has updated our site with the term “mpox” to reduce stigma and other issues associated with prior terminology. This change is aligned with the Nov. 28, 2022, World Health Organization decision. Some webpages and materials created prior to this date, or linked to on other sites, may still reflect the old name.

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus. Despite being originally named “monkeypox,” the source of the disease remains unknown. The first human case of mpox was recorded in 1970, in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

Human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with infected lesions or fluids or contact with contaminated materials like clothing or bedding. It also can be spread by respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact. Mpox has an average incubation period of 6 to 13 days, with a range of 5 to 21 days.  

There are two subtypes of virus that cause mpox: clade I and clade II. Clade I causes more severe illness and deaths. Clade II, which causes less severe infections, is the type that caused a global outbreak of mpox in 2022-2023. Although a majority of cases in this outbreak occurred among gay and bisexual men, anyone can be affected by mpox regardless of sexual orientation. While evidence to date has not identified a new mechanism of infection unique to sexual transmission, mpox can be transmitted through prolonged physical contact, including intimate sexual contact. Case data by state and by age, gender, race/ethnicity and symptoms are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

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