MPOX: Research priorities for threat reduction

Abstract

MPOX: Research priorities for threat reduction Concerted efforts are needed to close knowledge gaps around mpox to improve preparedness and response efforts for this neglected disease. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a previously neglected re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPV), genus Orthopoxvirus, family Poxviridae. This virus can cause severe illness in infected patients and is endemic in numerous countries across Central and West Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia, and others. However, in 2022, a global mpox outbreak led to the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization, with more than 90,000 confirmed cases reported from non-endemic global regions. While swift responses to this outbreak helped reduce case trends across highly impacted regions by Fall 2022, including the distribution of vaccine and therapeutics to at-risk communities, as well as increased public awareness, ongoing outbreaks in endemic regions continue to have deleterious effects on public health.