Health

However, monkeypox is far less severe than smallpox. There was an outbreak in 2003 linked to the transport of prairie dogs as pets who had been in contact during transport with imported (and unknowingly infected)rodents and other species from Africa (Gambian rats), resulting in more than 40 human cases. All recovered.

Health Care providers/workers and public health workers active in 2003 should have been boosted with smallpox (along with the military) if they were eligible (i.e., those with eczema and some other immune conditions could not receive it). So, there are still quite a few HCWs that are up to 85% immune, should cases present to the ER in many locales