The Ministry of Health and Population issued the first statement on monkeypox, saying that the virus that causes monkeypox is very close to the virus that causes smallpox but is less lethal and less transmissible.
The ministry said, in an infographic published on "Facebook", Saturday, that the virus was first discovered in laboratory monkeys in 1958, and the virus is endemic in west and central Africa and rarely reaches other continents, and when that happens, cases of outbreaks are very small and are measured in single numbers.
It added that the monkeypox virus is not similar to the nature of the Coronavirus, as the latter was completely unknown when it first appeared, but the monkeypox virus is known to us, and we have experts who specialize in dealing with it.
The ministry also noted that the monkeypox virus does not spread easily, and it does not spread through the air over long distances, but by contacting infected persons for long periods and closely, so it is unlikely to turn into a global pandemic such as Covid 19, the virus causes high temperatures, and rashes.
Follow the latest news on Google News
