What is monkeypox?

European and American health authorities identified an outbreak of a disease that rarely appears outside Africa. This article answers several questions about the disease.

By

World News

May 20, 2022 - 4:51 PM

In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient's hand on June 5, 2003. (CDC/Getty Images/TNS)

LONDON (AP) — European and American health authorities have identified a number of monkeypox cases in recent days, mostly in young men. It’s a surprising outbreak of a disease that rarely appears outside Africa.

Health officials around the world are keeping watch for more cases because, for the first time, the disease appears to be spreading among people who didn’t travel to Africa. They stress, however, that the risk to the general population is low.

What is monkeypox?

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