A walk with the 21st century pox

Monkeypox, an emerging viral zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus, has become the forefront of attention of medical community around the world since its declaration as a public health emergency. The threat over world population with the possibility of increased virulence of disease naturally or via bioengineering coupled with discontinuation of smallpox vaccination, limited knowledge, awareness and preparedness has led to renewed fears in the global health community after facing the havoc of coronavirus disease pandemic. Hence, in the subsequent sections, past and present knowledge on the disease is reviewed.