Monkeypox cases in Brazil, a possible pandemic?

Abstract

Monkeypox, a zoonotic disease caused by an Orthopoxvirus, results in a Smallpox-like disease in humans. Since monkeypox in humans was initially diagnosed in 1970 in the Zaire, it has spread to other regions of Africa - West and Central, and cases outside Africa have emerged in recent years. An emerging outbreak of Monkeypox infection is quickly spreading worldwide, being currently reported in more than 70 countries, with more than 14 thousand confirmed cases. In the present preliminary report, we collected and synthesized early data concerning epidemiological trends and clinical features of the ongoing outbreak and we compared them with those of previous outbreaks. In Brazil, the number of cases has been increasing alarmingly, although compared to other European countries, for example, the number of infected in the national territory is still, until the moment of this report, low and controllable (1025 confirmed cases).