Panorama of Emergency Medicine
PoEM is an international peer-reviewed independent journal dedicated to advancing knowledge and practice in emergency medicine.
PoEM is an international peer-reviewed independent journal dedicated to advancing knowledge and practice in emergency medicine.
Mpox, formerly Monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the Monkeypox virus. It was first discovered in 1958, and the first human infection was recorded in 1970.1 After that it caused several outbreaks, namely in 2003, 2021 and 2022.2There are 2 types of this virus, Clade I, the more severe form, and Clade II, the milder form.1 The 2022-2023 outbreak was caused by Clade II, but the 2024 outbreak is caused by Clade I, which has a case-fatality rate of around 10%.1,3 On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of Clade1 to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).4 This review will focus on what the clinician needs to know about mpox, and how to identify, manage and prevent it.