Is mpox as dangerous as smallpox?

No. Mpox is substantially less dangerous than smallpox. Smallpox had a case fatality rate of approximately 30% and caused disfigurement in survivors. Mpox clade II (responsible for the 2022-2024 global outbreak) has a fatality rate below 1% in high-income settings. Mpox clade I, circulating in Central Africa, carries a higher fatality rate of 1-10%, historically higher in children. Smallpox was eradicated globally in 1980; mpox continues to circulate in animal reservoirs and spreads to humans.