What Does Monkeypox Feel Like?
Key takeaways:
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
In August 2022, the U.S. declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency.
Those who have experienced monkeypox say the rash can be itchy. Other symptoms include fever, chills, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes.
When Yvonne Phan noticed a rash appearing on her skin in July 2022, she thought it might be bug bites. But instead of healing like normal bug bites, her bumps began to scab over and multiply.
Monkeypox was the furthest thing from her mind. But that’s what it turned out to be.
Monkeypox is a viral infection from the same family as the smallpox virus. The virus spreads from person to person through physical contact. Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be spread through sexual contact. It can also spread through other forms of physical contact or contact with bodily fluids.
Tired, sore, achy, itchy — and annoyed
Yvonne, a 33-year-old Denver woman, says it was difficult to get anyone to take her concerns seriously at first.
“No one thought it could possibly be monkeypox,” she says. “I didn’t blame them. It’s new, and everyone seems to be on different pages. It was far more difficult to get someone to even entertain the thought that this could be monkeypox.”
Since she had not recently been sexually active, she says that she found it difficult to find testing. “Sexual health clinics, the only clinics testing at the time, did not think it was worth testing me.”
Eventually, Yvonne was tested, and her diagnosis was confirmed. She doesn’t know how she was exposed. But she wonders if it might have been at her allergist’s clinic, where she had been going twice a week.
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Monkeypox made her feel tired, sore, achy, itchy — and annoyed.
“I did feel body aches, but they felt different than what you think of when you think of flu body aches. My body felt sore like that. But it also sometimes felt like the soreness penetrated my bones,” she says.
As the virus continued, the larger bumps on the backs of her legs blistered. “Most of these bumps itched like crazy. Some didn’t itch at all. Sometimes they’d itch a lot when they were first forming and stop, only to itch intensely again when they were healing.”
“It still mostly feels annoying that I got monkeypox,” she says. “I would describe myself as a generally risk-averse person, and I have generally been careful throughout COVID. I’m so grateful that I have a mild case, knowing that many other people have much more painful lesions in much more sensitive areas.”
Intense back pain, fatigue, and deep bumps
Jeffrey Todd, a 44-year-old casting director in Los Angeles who also came down with monkeypox in July 2022, documented his saga on his social media.
“I’m not 100% sure how I was exposed,” he says. “I did contact tracing, and not a single sexual partner I’ve had in the last 2 months has had symptoms or tested positive for monkeypox. Based on the tracing I did, I was most likely exposed at a large, very crowded, unventilated warehouse party celebrating the end of LA Gay Pride.”
His first symptom was “an odd-looking bump on my face that did not look like a normal pimple,” he says. “It had a raised, white ring around it that made me quite concerned. That was followed the next day with intense back pain, fatigue, and several deep bumps all over my body.”
He describes getting tested as a nightmarish ordeal.
Early on, the clinic he visited to be tested sent his sample to a lab, but it was spoiled by the time it got there. So that sample couldn’t be tested. When he tried to schedule an appointment with his primary care doctor, he says he was told that the earliest he could be seen was in 2 weeks. His doctor suggested going to the emergency department.
He got a test at the ER, and it was positive for monkeypox. He also saw an infectious disease specialist who prescribed Tpoxx (tecovirimat), a 2-week course of antiviral medication approved to treat smallpox and now being used for monkeypox.
After monkeypox ran its course, Jeffrey says he felt fine. But the experience left him frustrated with a medical community he says was not prepared to handle this crisis.
“I experienced lots of discomfort, especially in the beginning,” he says. “It was also terrifying to have these prominent marks on my face, not knowing when or if they'd heal.”
“Every time I look in the mirror I see this deep dramatic scar on my face … I mourn the loss of the person I was before on a daily basis.”
What does the doctor say?
Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH
Medical Editor
With monkeypox, people usually experience viral symptoms like fever, tiredness, headaches, and general achiness. Some people have these symptoms before developing a rash, while others experience them after the rash appears.
Like other viral illnesses (think flu or COVID-19), symptoms vary from person to person. On one end of the spectrum are people who feel a bit sick for a day or two, and on the other end are people who feel awful for a week or more.
The other main feature of monkeypox is the rash. The illness is a pox virus, and like all pox viruses, the rash goes through a classic pattern both as it appears and as it heals.
At first, the rash can be painful because the virus is causing inflammation. After a few days, the rash turns into fluid-filled blisters. The fluid prompts release of chemicals in your body that cause itching. It’s similar to the process that makes chicken pox so itchy. It’s important to avoid scratching, which can lead to skin infections and worsen scarring. Instead, you can try antihistamines or warm compresses to relieve itching.
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