The following article was released by the Ministry of Health after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the growing monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency, its highest level of alert.
By Dr Tariq Jagnarine
Family Medicine, Endocrinology / Diabetes
Monkeypox is a rare disease similar to smallpox caused by the monkeypox virus which is a member of a family called orthopoxvirus. While it is found mostly in areas of Africa, it has made its way to other areas of the world in recent years. Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in groups of monkeys being used for research. There are two known types (clades) of monkeypox virus — one that originated in Central Africa and one that originated in West Africa.
