Monkeypox 

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection first identified in 1958.  In most countries, cases are rarely seen in people who have not traveled to Central or West Africa, where the virus is endemic (regularly found). However, since May 2022, there has been an uptick in cases among people who have not visited Africa, including in Europe and North America, and here in California.     

Monkeypox is spread by close physical contact (including sexual contact) with someone who has symptoms or by touching contaminated items, like clothing and bedding. It can cause flu-like symptoms and/or a distinct rash that can be bumpy or fluid-filled on the face, body, genitals, arms, and legs.  It may also be limited to one part of the body.   

If you have symptoms of monkeypox, isolate from others and contact a health care provider right away to get checked.  Currently, the risk of getting monkeypox is very low.  

For more information, visit CDPH’s monkeypox landing page and monkeypox questions and answers page. 

Use this toolkit to help your audience understand monkeypox. This material is downloadable and shareable. 

Fact Sheets 

​ 8.5 x 11  CDC Monkeypox: Get the Facts (PDF)	8.5 x 11  CDC Social Gatherings, Safer Sex and Monkeypox (PDF)
​ 8.5 x 11  What Gay & Bisexual Men Need to Know About Monkeypox,

English (PDF | JPG), Arabic (PDF | JPG), Armenian (PDF | JPG), Cambodian (PDF | JPG), 

English

What is Monkeypox?

Suggested Messaging: Monkeypox is a rare disease, similar to smallpox (but milder), that can spread from infected humans, animals, and materials contaminated with the virus – though not easily. Monkeypox can cause flu-like symptoms and distinct rash, lesions, and bumps on the body. However, the risk of getting monkeypox is currently very low.  

CDPH closely monitors monkeypox transmission in the U.S. and California to ensure rapid identification of cases and appropriate care. For more information about monkeypox, visit: http://sn.cdph.ca.gov/monkeypox

Monkeypox signs/symptoms, transmission and prevention  

Suggested Messaging: Monkeypox is a rare viral infection.  In most countries, cases are rarely seen in people who have not traveled to Central or West Africa. However, there has been a recent uptick in cases in countries among people who have not visited Africa, including in Europe and North America.    

Monkeypox is spread by close contact with someone who has symptoms or by touching contaminated items. It can cause flu-like symptoms and a rash that can be bumpy or fluid-filled on the face, body, genitals, arms, and legs.  It may also be limited to one part of the body. 

If you have symptoms of monkeypox, isolate from others and contact a health care provider right away to get checked.  Currently, the risk of getting monkeypox is very low. 

For more information about monkeypox, visit: http://sn.cdph.ca.gov/monkeypox 

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 Monkeypox v COVID-19 

Suggested Messaging: Although the sudden emergence of monkeypox can be alarming after two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox is not a new virus and does not spread in the same way as COVID-19. The current risk of getting monkeypox is low. 

If you have symptoms of monkeypox or COVID-19, isolate from others and contact a health care provider right away. To learn more about monkeypox and how you can protect yourself and others, go to: http://sn.cdph.ca.gov/monkeypox 

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Monkeypox Q&A  

Suggested Messaging: Monkeypox is a rare disease that is spread by close physical and sexual contact with infected people who have symptoms, like rash, bumps and/or flu-like illness. Though risk of getting monkeypox is low, there is a recent uptick in cases in places that normally don’t see the disease, like in Europe and the U.S., including California. 

To learn more about monkeypox and how you can protect yourself and others, go to:

Going Out?

Suggested Messaging: How can you lower the chance of getting monkeypox at places like parties, clubs, and festivals? First, consider how much close, personal, skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur at the event you plan to attend. 

If you feel sick or have any rashes or sores, do not attend any in-person gatherings, and see a health care provider right away. 

To learn more about monkeypox and how you can protect yourself and others, go to: https://bit.ly/MonkeypoxQA 

Spanish 

¿Qué es la viruela del mono? 

Suggested Messaging: La viruela del mono es una enfermedad poco común, parecida a la viruela (pero más leve), que puede contagiarse de humanos, animales y materiales infectados con el virus - aunque no fácilmente. La viruela del mono puede causar síntomas parecidos a los de la influenza, y lesiones, sarpullidos y protuberancias distintivas en el cuerpo. Sin embargo, el riesgo de contraer la viruela del mono es actualmente muy bajo. 

La CDPH monitorea de cerca la transmisión de la viruela del mono en los EE. UU. y California para garantizar la identificación rápida de los casos y la atención adecuada. Para obtener más información sobre la viruela del mono, visita: http://sn.cdph.ca.gov/monkeypox 

Signos/síntomas, transmisión y prevención de la viruela del mono

Suggested Messaging: La viruela del mono es una infección viral poco común. En la mayoría de los países, rara vez se observan casos en personas que no hayan viajado a África central u occidental. Sin embargo, ha habido un aumento reciente de casos en países, entre personas que no han visitado África, incluso en Europa y América del Norte. 

La viruela del mono se transmite por contacto cercano con alguien que tiene síntomas o al tocar artículos contaminados. Puede causar síntomas parecidos a los de la influenza y un sarpullido que puede tener protuberancias o estar lleno de líquido en la cara, el cuerpo, los genitales, los brazos y las piernas. También puede ser limitado a una sola parte del cuerpo. 
Si tienes síntomas de viruela del mono, aíslate de los demás y comunícate con un proveedor de atención médica de inmediato para que te revisen. Actualmente, el riesgo de contraer la viruela del mono es muy bajo. Para obtener más información sobre la viruela del mono, visita: http://sn.cdph.ca.gov/monkeypox 

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Preguntas y respuestas sobre la viruela del mono  

Suggested Messaging: La viruela del mono es una enfermedad poco común que se transmite por contacto cercano  físico y sexual con personas infectadas que tienen síntomas, como sarpullido, protuberancias y/o una enfermedad parecida a la influenza. Aunque el riesgo de contraer la viruela del mono es bajo, hay un aumento reciente en los casos en países que normalmente no ven la enfermedad, como en Europa y los EE. UU., incluso en California. 

¿Vas a salir?

Suggested Messaging: ¿Cómo puedes reducir la probabilidad de contraer viruela del mono en lugares como fiestas, clubes y festivales? Primero, considera cuánto contacto cercano, personal y piel con piel es probable que ocurra en el evento al que planeas asistir. 

Si te sientes enfermo o tienes sarpullido o llagas, no asistas a ninguna reunión en persona y consulta a un proveedor de atención médica de inmediato. 

Para obtener más información sobre la viruela del mono y cómo puedes protegerte a tí mismo y a los demás, visita: https://bit.ly/MonkeypoxQA