Monkeypox: World health emergency in 2022

Abstract

Monkeypox appeared in 1970 in Central Africa and since then the national and international health agencies have not given the proper response to this viral infection that hit small African populations until then. Today in 2022 it becomes an international emergency disease according to the World Health Organization. Monkeypox has been isolated and identified in more than 75 countries since the publication of this Emergency Technical Note. So far diagnosed cases exceed 15,000 cases worldwide. In Brazil, the main states with the highest identification activity for this Orthopoxvirus are Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Distrito Federal, Paraná and Goiás States. However, this disease that causes pustules all over the body, fever, malaise, body aches and has a high rate of transmissibility through sexual contact, especially by homosexuals, has become a major health problem internationally. Possibly we are talking about a new pandemic like the one we saw for Smallpox, Tuberculosis, Black Death, Covid-19 and Spanish Flu.