Monkeypox: A Global Public Health Emergency of 2022- Are We Ready?

Abstract

Monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease endemic to the tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa. The 1st virus isolation was done from a group of research monkeys in 1958 and the 1st human case was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970. Outbreaks outside Africa by 2021 were always small-scale and associated with travel to endemic regions or the importation of infected animals. But in 2022, more than 2000 cases were reported from 1st January to 3rd August from more than 80 countries worldwide, and the majority of them had no travel or contact history. Neighboring country India has also detected four monkeypox cases for the first time with one death which is a concern for Bangladesh. This review article gives a brief overview of the monkeypox virus, the disease, and most importantly, the preventive measures in the context of the current global outbreak.