Let's keep cool about anxiety-inducing monkeypox

PEOPLE are understandably anxious about monkeypox. They are likely more so because of their experiences during the pandemic. But although we need to take the disease seriously, monkeypox is much less of threat than Covid. It won't have the same impact on societies or lead to the type of control measures we have seen over the past two years.

- Azeem Majeed

The virus that causes monkeypox is found primarily in small animals like rodents in parts of West and Central Africa - but was first identified in monkeys. It can sometimes spread to humans and because of international travel, it can spread to other parts of the world. But unlike Covid-19, which is easily transmissible and has caused huge waves of infection globally, monkeypox spreads much more slowly, requiring close contact with an infected person or animal.