… on the rise and headlines about the disease changing every day, many people have been left wondering what exactly the “new” disease is, how it spreads, and if they … first thing to understand is that monkeypox disease isn’t new. “Monkeypox has been reported in several central and west African countries since 1970,” says Dr. … Infection (STI) like syphilis, gonorrhea or HIV/AIDS. “Although monkeypox has been linked to sexual contact, it does not necessarily mean that it is an STI,” she …