--- title: "Scientists Warn of International Monkeypox Outbreaks" description: "Public health officials across the world have voiced concern over outbreaks of monkeypox, a rare disease that's related to other viruses such as smallpox." date: "2022-05-19" modified: "2022-05-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-warn-worldwide-monkeypox-outbreaks" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "monkeypox" - "smallpox" --- # Scientists Warn of International Monkeypox Outbreaks ![Public health officials across the world have voiced concern over outbreaks of monkeypox, a rare disease that's related to other viruses such as smallpox.]() *\Image: Andrew Gal/NurPhoto via Getty Images\* Public health officials across the world have voiced concern over outbreaks of monkeypox, a rare disease that's related to other viruses such as smallpox. The cases — one was identified in the US at the time of writing, 13 suspected but not yet confirmed in Canada, five confirmed in Portugal, nine confirmed in the UK, and seven suspected in Spain, [according to the *BBC*]() — are now being investigated by local health authorities. According [to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health](), a man who had recently traveled to Canada and returned to the state is believed to have brought the most recent case of monkeypox to the US. While it's certainly not the time to panic, health officials are nonetheless concerned. "Monkeypox usually does not occur globally," Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, [told *USA Today*](). Rimoin, an expert in monkeypox and other related infectious diseases, also said that an outbreak like this one is a "rare and unusual occurrence." Smallpox was first recorded in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with subsequent cases confirmed in countries across western and central Africa, [according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]() (CDC). There have been other [travel-related cases]() of monkeypox in the US prior to the latest confirmed case as well. Fortunately, there's some good news as well, indicating that it's unlikely we're looking at a repeat of the coronavirus pandemic. For one, the virus is rarely fatal. Recovery usually lasts a few weeks, according to the CDC, with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. We also have a vaccine that has already been approved for monkeypox. Antiviral medications have been [shown to be effective]() as well. Making these treatments accessible, however, would likely be challenging. Transmission between humans has only been shown to occur through large respiratory droplets, according to the CDC. But according to the UK Health Security Agency, the earliest case in the UK was linked to somebody who had traveled to Nigeria. "So it is possible they acquired the infection through community transmission," the agency wrote in [a statement](). "It does seem to be spreading, at least from the information that we have so far, through human-to-human contact," Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and researcher with the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, [told the *CBC*](). Officials are now racing to get a better understanding of the situation. "This, once again, highlights the threat of viruses like this," said Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and technical lead on COVID-19 and emerging diseases with the WHO, during a press conference this week, as quoted by the *CBC*. **READ MORE:** ['Rare and unusual' monkeypox cases are causing global concern. Here's what we know.]() \[*USA Today*\] **More on smallpox:** *[Explosion Reported at Russian Facility Storing Smallpox]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()