Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic orthopoxvirus (OPX) endemic to west and central Africa. Each year, majority of human monkeypox (MPX) infections are reported from the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

MPXV is transmitted to humans from a primary zoonotic source, and the virus is also capable of human-to-human transmission. The animal reservoir of MPXV remains unknown; however, several genera of African rodents (Cricetomys, Graphiurus, Funiscirurus) have been identified as potential reservoirs responsible for transmission and maintenance of the virus.

 

Contact with wildlife, which often occurs in rural communities in DRC that are dependent on bushmeat as a protein source, is thought to increase risk for human infection with MPXV.

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