Mpox (formerly called monkeypox) is a viral infection that causes a distinctive rash of fluid-filled blisters, along with fever, body aches, and swollen lymph nodes. It belongs to the same virus family as smallpox but is far less severe. The virus was first identified in 1958 during vaccine research on monkeys, and in November 2022, the World Health Organization began phasing out the name “monkeypox” in favor of “mpox.”
How Mpox Spreads
Mpox passes from person to person mainly through close physical contact. That includes skin-to-skin touching, sexual contact, kissing, and even prolonged face-to-face interaction close enough to exchange respiratory particles. You can also pick it up from contaminated objects like clothing, bedding, or towels that an infected person has used.
Animal-to-human transmission happens through bites, scratches, or handling infected animals during hunting, skinning, or cooking. The virus can also pass from a pregnant person to their baby during pregnancy or birth.
Symptoms and How They Progress
After exposure, symptoms typically appear within 3 to 17 days. Early signs often include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. The hallmark rash usually follows within a few days, though in some cases it appears first.
The rash moves through a predictable sequence of stages. It starts as flat spots (lasting 1 to 2 days), then rises into firm bumps (another 1 to 2 days), fills with clear fluid (1 to 2 days), and then turns into pus-filled blisters that feel firm and deep-seated. These pustules often develop a visible dent in the center. They stick around for about 5 to 7 days before crusting over into scabs, which take another 7 to 14 days to fall off. A person remains contagious until all scabs have dropped off and fresh skin has formed underneath.
Lesions can appear on the face, hands, feet, chest, genitals, or inside the mouth. The total illness from first symptom to final scab typically lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
Two Strains With Different Severity
Mpox has two main genetic variants, called Clade I and Clade II. Clade I circulates primarily in Central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It historically carried a higher fatality risk, though recent outbreak data puts its mortality rate at 2.5% or lower, with most deaths occurring in people who are immunocompromised or in children with malnutrition.
Clade II is found in West Africa and was the strain behind the global outbreak that began in 2022. It is significantly milder, with a mortality rate below 0.1%. Again, deaths concentrate among people with weakened immune systems.
Who Faces the Highest Risk
People living with HIV are roughly four to five times more likely to contract mpox compared to those without HIV, and advanced HIV with a severely weakened immune system raises the chance of serious complications. Other high-risk groups include people with active skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or burns, which create openings for the virus to spread more widely across the body. Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals and children under 18 are also considered vulnerable to more severe outcomes.
How Mpox Is Diagnosed
Doctors diagnose mpox using a PCR test, the same type of molecular test used for many other infections. A healthcare provider swabs material directly from skin lesions, typically collecting samples from two or three separate blisters. These swabs can also determine which clade is involved, which helps public health teams track the spread.
Treatment and Recovery
Most people with mpox recover on their own within a few weeks with basic supportive care: managing pain, keeping the rash clean, and staying hydrated. Clinical trials of an antiviral drug originally stockpiled for smallpox found that while it was safe, it did not shorten the time it took for lesions to heal compared to supportive care alone.
That antiviral is still available on a compassionate-use basis for patients at high risk of severe disease. This includes people with advanced HIV, organ transplant recipients, those on treatments that suppress the immune system, pregnant individuals, and children. For everyone else, the evidence points toward symptom management as the primary path to recovery.
Vaccination
A two-dose vaccine is available for people at risk of mpox exposure. The doses are given four weeks apart. A single dose provides an estimated 35 to 86% protection, while completing the full two-dose series raises effectiveness to 66 to 90%. The wide ranges reflect differences across studies and populations, but the pattern is consistent: two doses offer substantially better protection than one.
Preventing Spread at Home
If someone in your household has mpox, practical cleaning measures can limit transmission. Keep their laundry separate and place used clothing, towels, and bedding in a waterproof bag or a washable fabric bag. Avoid shaking dirty laundry, which can send viral particles into the air. A standard washing machine with regular detergent is sufficient.
For hard surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, faucet handles, and light switches, clean with soap and water first, then use a disinfectant rated for emerging viral pathogens. Dishes can go through a dishwasher or be hand-washed with hot water and dish soap. Avoid dry sweeping or dusting. Wet methods like sprays, wipes, and mopping are safer because they don’t kick particles into the air.
Soft surfaces like upholstered furniture and carpets can be steam-cleaned if the infected person had direct skin contact with them. Heavily contaminated items like mattresses soaked with fluid from blisters may need to be discarded. After any cleaning, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially right after removing gloves.
Global Status
The WHO declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern during the 2024 outbreak driven by Clade I spread in Central Africa. That emergency designation was lifted on September 5, 2025, after the situation came under better control. Mpox remains endemic in parts of Central and West Africa, and sporadic cases continue to appear in other regions through travel-related transmission.