From Endemic to a Global Concern Once Again: A Review of Evolving Monkeypox Dynamics

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox) outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 14th August 2024, this being the second time, with Mpox previously being declared a PHEIC during the 2022-2023 outbreak. Mpox is a zoonotic orthopoxvirus with a similar clinical presentation to smallpox but a notably lower mortality rate. Before the 2022 outbreak, Mpox was a rare and neglected disease, which has now drawn global attention once the cases started emerging in countries outside Africa. The WHO has stressed the importance of a coordinated response on the international front to control and contain the Mpox outbreaks in the DRC and neighboring countries in Africa. Through this narrative review, the authors aim to consolidate evidence on the Mpox virus, characteristics of its infection, treatment and prevention strategies, a review of past and current Mpox outbreaks, challenges in containing the spread of the epidemic including access to vaccines in low-income nations and vulnerable populations, and any relevant learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic that could be implemented.