What Do We Know About the Smallpox Virus? A Journey Between Clinic and Therapy

Pharm Res. 2023 Feb;40(2):459-465. doi: 10.1007/s11095-022-03447-z. Epub 2022 Nov 30.

Abstract

Purpose: Modern research is increasingly focusing on the study of new viruses and the re-emergence of past microbes, such as Coronaviruses, particularly Sars-Cov2 that was responsible for the very recent pandemic.

Methods and results: This infection manifested itself and still continues to manifest as a severe respiratory syndrome. The main discriminator of whether or not one succeeds in overcoming this infection may depend on a great many factors, but the main one is definitely determined by vaccination, which has minimized hospitalizations and more severe syndromes.

Conclusion: Recently, a new virus, the monkeypox virus, which was previously confined to Central and West Africa but is now gradually spreading to more than 30 countries including the United States of America, where such an infection is not endemic, is coming forward again.

Keywords: epidemiology; infectious; monkeypox; smallpox; vaccine; virology.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Mpox (monkeypox)* / epidemiology
  • RNA, Viral
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • United States
  • Variola virus*

Substances

  • RNA, Viral