What is monkeypox? A microbiologist explains what’s known about this smallpox cousinMonkeypox causes lesions that resemble pus-filled blisters, which eventually scab over.CDC/Getty Images Rodney E. Rohde, Texas State University On May 18, 2022, Massachusetts health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a single case of monkeypox in a patient who had recently traveled to Canada. Cases have also been reported in the United Kingdom and Europe. Monkeypox isn’t a new disease. The first confirmed human case was in 1970, when the virus was isolated from a child suspec…