Mpox (previously named monkeypox) is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus in the family Poxviridae. There are currently more than 80 poxviruses known to science and these poxviruses have been isolated from different species of birds, insects, reptiles, marsupials and mammals. The global mpox outbreak that has been ongoing since 2022 and has spread to more than 100 countries including South Africa.