BALTIMORE —

By now, most people have heard of monkeypox and seen images of the skin lesions it causes. But it seems fewer people know how the virus spreads.

"I don't feel there is enough information out there," said Rhonda Vanrokel. "I think the focus has been on COVID, and that's understandable, but I think we should also be looking at monkeypox now, too, a little bit more."

"I don't know that much about it. I know there are some vaccines becoming available, but that's all I pretty much know," said Dianna Bevensee.

There are currently more than 6,300 cases of monkeypox nationwide with 149 in Maryland. This strain of monkeypox does not appear to be fatal. There are two strains of monkeypox, but the one that's spreading now does not appear to be deadly.

Some people have heard that those at high risk for monkeypox include gay men, transgender women and sex workers. But it's not necessarily a sexually transmitted disease. All that's needed to get the virus is close, prolonged contact with an infected person.

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