ABSTRACT

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which is a member of the Poxviridae family of viruses. It is transmitted through direct or indirect contact with fluid secretions. Initial symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and malaise, followed by a maculopapular rash that starts on the face and progresses centrifugally. Polymerase chain reaction is the preferred laboratory test for the diagnosis, and management is mostly supportive. The clinical presentation of monkeypox is quite similar to that of another member of the Poxviridae family: smallpox, which wreaked havoc in the 20th century, before being eradicated with the help of the vaccinia virus vaccine in 1977. This vaccine protects not only against smallpox but also monkeypox; therefore, when use of this vaccine was discontinued, monkeypox had a new susceptible population to infect and way to proliferate and evolve. Initially the disease spread in Africa, but now the more evolved monkeypox is quickly spreading to other countries. On July 23, 2022, the World Health Organization declared this multicountry outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Given its mutating ability and high transmissibility, we need to quickly devise measures to control this virus before it turns into a pandemic.

Faculty credentials/disclosure 

Prinay Sohal and Aakanksha Gupta are final-year MBBS students at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India. Shefali Gupta, MBBS, MD, is assistant professor in microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India. Vasu Gupta, MBBS, is affiliated with Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India. Ridhimaa Jain, MBBS, MD, is a specialist pediatrician, Centre of Excellence–Early Intervention Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Lok Nayak Hospital and Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. Rohit Jain, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The authors and planner for this educational activity have no relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients.

Process

Click the take course button, pay any relevant fee, take the quiz, complete the evaluation, and claim your CME credit.  You must achieve 100% on the quiz with unlimited attempts available.

• By completing this process, you are attesting that you have read the journal article.
• By claiming ABIM MOC credit you are providing permission to have your data uploaded into the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) system for transfer to the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

You will need to verify that your profile contains your correct birthdate (mm/dd) and ABIM diplomate number. For your convenience, please click here to verify your ABIM diplomate number. 

Expiration date:

Credit eligibility for this article is set to expire on May 1, 2025.