How contagious is monkeypox—and should you get a vaccine? Here’s the latest.
The disease is now global and is spreading rapidly, but there are simple ways to lower your risk of infection. Here’s what you need to know.
In a world exhausted by two-plus years of the coronavirus pandemic, another disease, monkeypox, continues to spread more rapidly than ever before. It’s a very different virus from the one that causes COVID-19, and is much harder to transmit, but it can land patients in the hospital and even kill. Monkeypox can also leave the infected disfigured: The pus-filled lesions that pock the skin—anywhere from a few to thousands—can leave permanent scars.
So far, 61 countries on six continents have recorded 7,492 cases, with a 82 percent increase in new infections since June 27. In the United States, monkeypox has breached 34 states, the District of Columbia, and
