Monkeypox has made headlines over the last week, with close to a hundred cases turning up across the world, a few of which are in the United States.

But is this something worthy of concern here in the Commonwealth, especially since we’re coming out of a pandemic?

Unlike the pandemic we’re moving through right now, Dr. Thiviyanath Sellathurai of Geisinger Philipsburg Family Medicine says Monkeypox won’t be nearly as much of a problem.

“The risk to the general public is low compared to other viruses because this virus is rare in humans,” he said.

Dr. Sellathurai says this fierce disease is much harder to spread than COVID.

“COVID can spread through tiny respiratory particles. This is spread through large respiratory droplets...so you need prolonged contact,” he explained.

And among other unwelcome symptoms are ugly rashes.

“The classic symptom is this rash. You can develop the rash right after the fever or 1-2 days after the fever. Usually starts in the face, then goes to whole body,” Dr. Sellathurai said.

However, the doctor says there’s no reason to panic, as this disease has been around for decades, with the first case in humans discovered 50 years ago.

“This is not a novel virus. SARS-COVID-2 is a novel virus, that means something new for us. This virus Monkeypox has been present since 1958, so we know what to do.”

He added that anyone experiencing potential symptoms should consult their doctor immediately.