Monkey Pox - What Causes It?

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

It is related to smallpox, rit, the pox that humans used to get before it was eradicated. Many of us were protected in the past because we had the small pox vaxin. The same fluid can naturally contaminate surfices and the varos can remain for quite some time. So it's transmitted by this close kinter skin contact.

The sudden surge of monkeypox cases outside Africa has alarmed public health authorities around the world. In Europe and North America it’s the first time community transmission has been recorded among people with no links to west or central Africa. So what is happening? Ian Sample talks to virologist Oyewale Tomori about why monkeypox is flaring up, whether we should fear it, and what we can learn from countries such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been tackling this virus for decades. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod