Human Mpox—an Emerging Zoonotic Disease and a Global Threat

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing mpox outbreak in non-endemic countries is likely to be a consequence of the failure to limit the spread of the disease in endemic regions of Africa, despite decades of constant outbreaks. Moreover, it should also serve as a reminder that in a globalized world, no region or country is safe from zoonotic pathogens like monkeypox virus unless the virus is contained in endemic regions.

A globally driven one-health response strategy is essential to control present and future outbreaks, since research into mpox has been neglected and underfunded. Capacity and competencies must be also built, to predict new outbreaks and prevent them rather than just responding to and containing them.

To date, the current spread has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the virus has circulated undetected for some time outside areas where it has been endemic, possibly masquerading as other sexually transmitted infections. Genome data also inform about the virus evolutionary trajectory, genetic diversity and phenotypic characteristics with relevance for guiding diagnostics, prophylaxis and research.

As a global public health issue, this outbreak raises an alarm about the changing epidemiology of the disease, which warrants stringent epidemiological surveillance to prevent further escalation of the current outbreak in non-endemic countries.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current outbreak and seeks to publish papers on all aspects of monkeypox virus.

Prof. Dr. Francisco José Nunes Antunes
Guest Editor
Rita Cordeiro
Co-Guest Editor

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