Perspective Chapter: Introduction to Mpox

The mpox epidemic (formerly known as monkeypox) became a major worldwide health issue after the COVID-19 pandemic. A new outbreak of mpox was discovered in the UK during May 2022, which rapidly expanded throughout Europe and the Americas and Africa, while the Americas reported most cases. Protective public health messages became essential when the virus crossed previously identified epidemiological chains. The orthopoxvirus-caused mpox infection presents mild symptoms like smallpox, except it affects unvaccinated individuals who develop more severe conditions. Individuals or animals who transmit the disease to others do so through direct contact, while the election of the symptoms features flu-like characteristics alongside specific rash development and lymph node inflammation. The termination of smallpox vaccination programs after the disease elimination in the 1980s resulted in mpox outbreaks among unvaccinated communities. The MVA-BN type of smallpox vaccine gives protection against various diseases, yet global mpox outbreaks persist without identifiable transmission pathways in affected populations. PCR assays and emerging T-cell-based tests play essential roles in distinguishing mpox from both smallpox and chickenpox infections. Severe mpox infections in young children and people with impaired immune systems might need antiviral treatment, but the effectiveness stays uncertain. The epidemiology, along with mpox transmission routes, clinical manifestations, and medical interventions, forms the core content of this chapter. The current situation demands worldwide disease surveillance combined with public health awareness programs and prepared emergency response capabilities to address future disease outbreaks, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.