An Overview of Pox Diseases

Course overview

Throughout history, pox diseases have been and continue to be a source of human morbidity and mortality. Examples of pox diseases include chickenpox, monkeypox, and smallpox. In the U.S., the last smallpox outbreak occurred in 1949 with the last natural case of smallpox in the world recorded in Somalia in 1977 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021a). Although pox diseases are uncommon in the U.S. today, it is important for clinicians to be aware of these serious communicable diseases.