The ongoing global outbreak of monkeypox is poised to test public health infrastructure across the globe. Monkeypox, a viral infection in the same family as smallpox, is usually uncommon in countries outside of West and Central Africa, where the disease is endemic.
Authors: Victoria Hsiung and Wenhui Mao
Since May 2022, there has been an ongoing outbreak of the disease in countries across the globe, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As of August 25, 2022, there have been 46,337 cases of monkeypox reported in 91 countries that have not historically reported monkeypox (CDC).
As the monkeypox outbreak continues to evolve, the situation presents an opportunity to apply key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to this outbreak more efficiently, effectively, and equitably. The latest issue brief from the Launch and Scale Speedometer team, Monkeypox: Recent Developments in the Outbreak and Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic, reviews key facts and developments in the outbreak so far, highlights challenges in controlling the outbreak in global and US contexts, and gives practical recommendations, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue brief also focuses on analysis of the monkeypox vaccine marketplace, an urgent and pressing challenge as many countries face vaccine shortages amidst rising case numbers.
Read the full issue brief here.