Monkeypox is a rare infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which used to occur endemically in central and western Africa. As of 25th May, a total of 219 recently confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported from 19 non-endemic countries. This outbreak unusually takes place in non-endemic areas for monkeypox virus and has exhibited features of high risk of human-to-human transmission. Onset of multiple human monkeypox cases may be related to the decreased level of herd cross-immunity after the cessation of smallpox vaccination. Moreover, behavioral patterns in specific populations may account for the human-to-human transmission in this outbreak. Currently, possibility of global epidemic of monkeypox is extremely low, but China should be cautious about risks of importation of monkeypox cases. The key to prevention and control is to establish a surveillance system to identify suspicious cases and close contacts as soon as possible.
猴痘是由猴痘病毒感染引起的罕见疾病，主要发生在中非和西非国家。截至2022年5月25日，19个非流行国家及地区报道了219例确诊猴痘病例。本次猴痘疫情不同寻常地发生于非流行地区，且出现较高人际传播性。其暴发原因可能与天花疫苗接种停止后群体猴痘免疫水平降低相关，加之特定人群中行为模式相关的传播可能是本次疫情出现人际传播的原因。目前猴痘全球流行可能性极低，但我国仍有输入风险；建立监测体系，及时识别可疑病例及密切接触者是防控的关键。.