Monkeypox: 7 Questions Patients May Ask, Answers to Help Prepare

The ongoing spread of monkeypox was declared a public health emergency in the US on Thursday, August 4, 2022, as national cases topped 7100. Despite the rising number of confirmed cases, and the global spotlight on the monkeypox outbreak, many questions linger about this rare disease: What exactly is monkeypox? What are the symptoms? How does it spread? Is it a sexually transmitted infection?

Patients may ask these questions, and others, at their next clinical visit. To help primary care clinicians respond, the editors at Patient Care Online combed through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of frequently asked questions about monkeypox and selected 7 you are likely to hear. Scroll the slides below for details.