Cases of the monkeypox virus are spreading in many countries where it has rarely, if ever, been seen before, including in the United States.

Although there are a lot of unknowns about the illness, the rapidly rising number of infections has caused alarm bells to sound among public health agencies.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, a reporter for The New York Times, with a focus on science and global health.

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Background reading: 

• In the U.S., the monkeypox outbreak has grown to around 80 cases. Globally, there have been about 2,000 confirmed cases.
• The outbreak poses a “real risk” to public health, the World Health Organization said.
• Here’s what to know about monkeypox and the risks it poses.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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