How long does mpox last?

Mpox illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. A prodromal phase of fever, lymphadenopathy, and fatigue precedes the rash by 1-5 days. The rash phase — lesions progressing macule, papule, vesicle, pustule, scab — lasts 2-3 weeks. A person remains infectious from symptom onset until all scabs have fallen off and new skin has healed beneath them. Milder clade IIb cases from the 2022 outbreak (few lesions limited to the genital area) sometimes resolved in under 2 weeks.