By: Annie Wang

On Tuesday in New York, officials declared monkey pox as a public health emergency. The monkeypox virus was discovered in 1958. Ashwin Vasan, a health Commissioner, said as many as 150,000 city residents could be at risk of being infected. New York had more than 1,000 cases of Monkey Pox, followed by California with almost 800 cases. In 80 countries more than 22,000 cases have been reported, along with another 75 deaths in Africa.

This disease was a rare disease that started in Central Africa. Anyone can get monkeypox. In Africa, most cases of monkeypox were in kids 15 years old and under. Health officials said that you may get the virus with close skin contact, sharing clothing, towels, and bedding.

Monkeypox can also be spread if you are close to a human or animal that has monkeypox. The type of Monkey Pox disease that was founded only lasts for a few weeks, but the blisters that are caused by the virus are very painful. The disease causes flu-like symptoms such as chills and fever. It also leads to rashes. Not everyone gets these symptoms though. In this outbreak, many cases are not following the normal symptoms.

Sadly, the Monkeypox virus has no cure. This virus can be very painful and can infect others so do not share belongings and please stay safe! The virus only lasts for 2-4 weeks.