monkeypox

noun

Etymology: From monkey + pox; originally so named based on cases in monkeys, although the name was a misnomer because monkeys are less of a reservoir for the disease than other animals are. More at Wikipedia (mpox § Nomenclature).

1. A disease of the skin of rodents and primates, including humans, caused by virus of species Orthopoxvirus monkeypox.

   “In a remote southwestern pocket of the Central African Republic, doctor Patrick Karume and his small team are on the jungle frontline to quarantine a rare outbreak of monkeypox.”

   “Monkeypox is a rare viral pox-like disease from the smallpox family, only milder. It can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, contact with body fluids or contact with an infected animal or animal products. The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United States saw a large outbreak among humans in 2003 after the virus spread from imported African rodents to pet prairie dogs. However, this is believed to be the first monkeypox virus infection in a Texas resident, according to Dallas County health officials.”