Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

Risk population:- Anyone especially children and younger people

Causative Organism:- Double stranded DNA virus of Orthopox virus genus and Poxviridae family. Phylogenetically two clades have been identified; Central African Clade & West African Clade. 
Central African Clade is more severe, transmissible and has 10% fatality and West African Clade has 1% fatality.

Source of Transmission:-  Infected animal, human, belonging of infected.

Mode of Transmission:
-	Zoonotic Transmission (Animal to Human)
      o Direct contact, bite or scratch
      o Indirect from body fluids, cutaneous, mucosal lesion. 
-	Human to Human Transmission
      o Limited
      o Respiratory secretion, skin lesion of infected 
      o Contaminated belongings of infected
      o Fetal 

Incubation Period:-	6 – 13 days (5 – 21 days*)

Infection Lasts 2 – 4 weeks, 2 period:
   -	Invasion period 0-5 days
      o Fever
      o Intense headache
      o Lymphadenopathy
      o Back pain
      o Bodyache 
      o Asthenia
   -	Skin Eruption period 
      o 1 – 3 days of appearance of fever
      o Rash mainly face, extremities rather on trunk
      o Also affect mucous membrane (oral), genitalia, conjunctiva, cornea
      o Rash evolves sequentially from macules (flat base)  papules (slight elevated & firm lesion)  vesicles (lesion filled with clear fluid), Pustules (lesions filled with pus which becomes dry and sheds off)
      o Number of lesions vary from few to several thousand

Treatment:- Monkey pox is usually self limited disease.
     -	Symptoms last 2 – 4 weeks

Complication & Severity:- Complications of MP usually are secondary in nature.
     -	Bronchopneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, infection of cornea. 

Prevention is better than cure.
                             

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