The number of countries with monkeypox virus is increasing. After some European countries, the virus was also detected in the USA, Canada and Australia.
The virus was discovered in 1958 by Danish virologist Preben Von Magnus.
Von Magnus wrote that the virus was seen in macaque monkeys, and therefore he called the virus ‘monkey pox’, that is, monkeypox virus.
It looked like the smallpox virus, and that was bad news for the world already plagued by smallpox.
And it was first detected in humans in 1970.
The first known patient was a 9-year-old boy who was brought to Basankusu Hospital in Zaire at the time.
It has been seen in places where people come into contact with wild animals.
Cases recorded from then until 1984 showed that the virus spread mostly in residential areas in tropical forests.
In 2022, it suddenly spread to many countries again.
So why has the virus, which has been around since 1970, suddenly started to spread now?
Infectious Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Alpay Azap points out that the virus may have spread due to the more common West African type and states that various measures will need to be taken.