Unlike COVID-19, Mpox didn’t spark immediate worldwide lockdowns. There were no international travel bans or sweeping mask mandates. But for epidemiologists and infectious disease experts, Mpox was — and remains — a flashing red light, signaling yet another viral threat the world is underestimating.
As case counts rise, new variants emerge, and the virus spreads beyond historically endemic regions, Mpox poses a real and growing epidemic — and possibly pandemic — risk. The question is not whether the virus is dangerous. The question is whether we’ll respond in time.In the summer of 2022, a virus that many health professionals had previously relegated to obscure textbooks began making daily headlines. Known then as monkeypox — and now rebranded as Mpox to reduce stigma — the virus leapt from the margins of global health consciousness into the mainstream.
What Is Mpox?
Mpox is a zoonotic virus, meaning it can jump between animals and humans. It belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but is generally less deadly. First discovered in 1958 in captive monkeys and later identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mpox was long viewed as a regional issue, mostly confined to parts of Central and West Africa.
But the 2022 outbreak shattered that illusion. Within months, thousands of cases had been reported across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America — many in individuals with no travel history to endemic regions.
Though rarely fatal, Mpox can cause debilitating symptoms — including fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, and painful lesions. For immunocompromised individuals and children, the consequences can be severe.
What makes Mpox especially troubling isn’t just its symptoms. It’s the way it spreads, adapts, and resists containment.
A Virus That Doesn’t Follow the Script
Public health playbooks are built around predictable transmission patterns. Respiratory viruses like influenza spread one way. Bloodborne pathogens like HIV follow another. But Mpox defies these categorizations.
The virus can spread through direct skin contact, respiratory droplets, contaminated objects, and potentially sexual networks, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). While initial 2022 outbreaks disproportionately affected this demographic, Mpox is not a sexually transmitted infection in the classical sense. It is a multi-modal virus — and that’s what makes it so dangerous.
Recent studies suggest the virus can remain viable on surfaces for days, posing risk in communal spaces. It has also been detected in semen, saliva, and other bodily fluids, although the implications for transmission remain under investigation.
This complexity has made containment efforts difficult, and public messaging confusing — a dangerous combination when dealing with an emerging infectious disease.
From Containment to Community Spread
Early Mpox cases outside Africa were generally linked to international travel or close contact with infected individuals. But as 2022 progressed into 2023, signs of community transmission began to emerge, especially in urban centers with dense populations.
Health systems in some countries responded swiftly with vaccination campaigns using the JYNNEOS vaccine, which had been previously approved for smallpox and Mpox. But vaccine supply was limited, and distribution uneven. Public health communication faltered, often stigmatizing vulnerable communities rather than building trust.
As a result, vaccination uptake lagged, and the virus continued to spread silently, especially in under-resourced regions and among populations with poor access to care.
Now, in 2025, Mpox is no longer a footnote in infectious disease journals — it’s a widening global threat.
Why Mpox Still Isn’t Taken Seriously
Part of the problem is perception. Mpox lacks the shock value of Ebola or the global familiarity of COVID-19. It doesn’t usually kill, and its name (despite efforts to rebrand) still carries an air of novelty or confusion.
But this underestimation is dangerous. As we saw with COVID-19, slow public response can turn containable outbreaks into global emergencies. The same risk exists with Mpox — perhaps even more so, given its ability to spread through both casual contact and intimate networks.
Moreover, the virus appears to be evolving. Recent genetic sequencing shows mutations that could influence transmissibility, symptom severity, and immune evasion. And as the virus encounters more human hosts, the chances of it becoming more efficient only grow.
The Surveillance Gaps Are Alarming
Many countries still lack dedicated Mpox surveillance systems. Testing remains inaccessible in large swaths of the globe, particularly in the Global South. In some places, Mpox cases go unreported due to stigma, especially when associated with sexual behavior or marginalized communities.
Without robust data, we’re essentially flying blind — unaware of where the virus is spreading, how it’s mutating, and which populations are most at risk.
This data vacuum not only hampers clinical response but allows the virus to entrench itself quietly within communities. And by the time we do have the data, it may already be too late.
What Needs to Change — Now
If the world hopes to avoid another preventable pandemic, Mpox demands a coordinated, proactive, and science-driven response. That means:
- Universal access to vaccines for at-risk populations, including equitable distribution in low-income regions.
- Clear public health messaging that avoids stigmatization while educating the public about multiple modes of transmission.
- Improved testing and surveillance infrastructure, especially in high-density urban areas and countries with limited healthcare access.
- Ongoing research into transmission dynamics, potential reservoirs, and long-term immunity following infection or vaccination.
- Funding for global health preparedness, not just for Mpox but for the countless other zoonotic viruses waiting in the wings.
Mpox is not a theoretical threat. It is a real-time lesson in how epidemics form, spread, and evolve — and it’s offering us the chance to do better than we did with COVID-19.
Final Thoughts
Viruses do not recognize borders, politics, or privilege. They exploit vulnerability — in bodies, in communities, and in systems.
Mpox is giving us fair warning. The scars it leaves may not always be visible, but they are deep — etched into the lives of patients, the conscience of public health institutions, and the fragile promise that we’ll be ready “next time.”
That time, as it turns out, may already be here.
