mpox

American  

[em-poks] / ˈɛmˌpɒks /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease caused by a virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus, clinically similar to but less severe than smallpox, and transmitted to humans via contact with an infected person or animal, or with a contaminated material: first identified in humans in 1970, outbreaks historically occurred mostly in central and western Africa, with the United States in 2003 having the first confirmed cases outside of Africa, followed by global outbreaks, especially in Europe and the Americas, that became increasingly reported in the 2020s. MPX

---

Etymology

Origin of mpox

First recorded in 2022; partial abbreviation of monkeypox ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mpox

The scientific research in those cases involved work around the mosquito-born chikungunya virus, a "highly-pathogenic" strain of the bird flu, a family of viruses that include smallpox and mpox, venoms and other toxins.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Coyle said there had been a change in the type of mpox since then.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

With numbers of mpox cases rising across Europe and the UK it is not unexpected that cases would eventually be detected in Northern Ireland.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

It was the seventh Clade I mpox case in California, and the resident needed to be hospitalized for treatment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026

Bavarian Nordic, with $2.7 billion in 2025 U.S. revenue, and Emergent Biosolutions produce the two FDA-approved mpox vaccines.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026