Responses to monkeypox: learning from previous public health emergencies

Since the 1970s, the zoonotic disease monkeypox was reported as appearing in humans, principally in central and west Africa. However, from May 2022, escalating numbers of persons worldwide contracted it. On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization declared this outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and initially observed that it was "concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners." The international public health response to monkeypox provides a litmus test to evaluate whether lessons have been learned from experiences of other infectious diseases in recent decades. This editorial identifies evidence of progress in the following areas: the declaration of a PHEIC in relation to monkeypox; some high-income countries' responses to monkeypox; naming of the virus, its variants and the disease it causes; protection of LGBTIQ+ communities and engagement of them to curb transmission of monkeypox; and efforts to ensure access to equitable vaccines.