Monkeypox is much less contagious and less likely to cause severe illness or death than COVID-19. The spread of monkeypox is also different than the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in a few key ways:
- There is already a vaccine for monkeypox.
- Monkeypox can be treated with available antiviral medicines.
- While COVID-19 passed easily from person to person, monkeypox does not spread as easily between people. Monkeypox transmission typically requires skin-to-skin contact, direct contact with body fluids, or prolonged, close face-to-face contact.
Updated August 8, 2022