Mpox

Is mpox worse than usual anywhere?

Too little to compare in any country this week.

Mpox (once called monkeypox) is an illness caused by a virus related to smallpox. Most people get better, but some become very ill.

Signs: A painful rash that turns into blisters and then scabs, often on the face, hands and feet. Also fever, sore throat, headache, body aches and swollen glands.
How it spreads: Through close skin-to-skin, mouth-to-skin or face-to-face contact, including sex, and by touching items like bedding. Also from infected animals and from mother to baby.
How to protect yourself: Vaccines are offered to people at high risk, such as close contacts and health workers. Avoid touching sores and shared items; condoms lower but do not remove the risk.
Get medical help: See a health worker and get tested if you have symptoms. Get urgent care for trouble swallowing, eye problems, or signs a sore is getting infected.

In Dooram's words, from the World Health Organization. Source: WHO fact sheet: Mpox, read 8 October 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Sources. Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division, National Institutes of Health, Islamabad, weekly report.