Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, which is mainly transmitted by animals. People will be infected if they are bitten by animals carrying viruses, or if they come into close contact with animal wounds and body fluids. Theoretically speaking, people who have been in close contact for a long time may spread the virus through droplets; Articles that come into direct contact with patients' body fluids or are contaminated by viruses may also be infected.

Monkeypox was first found in monkeys. 1958, a virus that can cause fever and acne rash in laboratory primates was found in green monkeys in Copenhagen, so it was called "monkeypox virus". In fact, this virus can also infect many kinds of mice and rabbits, and ground squirrels are important hosts of monkeypox virus.

Monkeypox is mainly prevalent in animals and occasionally infects humans. 1970, a rare zoonotic disease was found among the residents of a small village in the tropical rain forest of West Africa, which can cause systemic infection and skin damage similar to smallpox. It was confirmed by testing that it was caused by monkeypox virus. Later, the disease has been in the tropical rainforests of Central Africa and West Africa. It is generally transmitted from animals to people, and occasionally from person to person, mainly affecting children.

Monkeypox virus belongs to orthopoxvirus family. In its family, we are most familiar with smallpox virus and vaccinia virus, as well as dozens of brothers and sisters such as vaccinia virus, camel pox virus, mouse pox virus and raccoon pox virus. Among orthopoxviruses, only smallpox virus, vaccinia virus, vaccinia virus and monkeypox virus can cause human infection, among which smallpox virus is the most serious. However, human beings have eradicated smallpox all over the world through vaccination. There are many kinds of "pox" viruses, but don't think that all viruses with the word "pox" belong to one family, and chickenpox is not. It belongs to the herpes virus family.

The incubation period of human infection with monkeypox virus is about 2 ~ 3 weeks, followed by high fever, headache, back pain, general malaise, cough, lymphadenopathy and occasional abdominal pain. At the same time of fever, the whole body appears a rash similar to smallpox, which generally occurs on eyelids, face, trunk and genitals. After herpes bursts, there is an ulcer that cannot be cured for a long time. Mild patients can heal themselves after 4 ~ 6 weeks, and severe patients can collapse and die. Monkeypox is not as contagious as smallpox, and the mortality rate of infected people is lower than smallpox. The mortality rate is 1% ~ 10%, which is obviously lower than the mortality rate of smallpox above 30%.