The White House officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the United States last week. More than 7,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed since it began spreading across the country in May.

Today's show: Health reporter Pien Huang on how the outbreak began, how it gathered steam and whether monkeypox is on track to become an endemic disease in the United States.

Check out more of NPR's reporting on monkeypox:
- Monkeypox: The myths, misconceptions — and facts — about how you catch it
- He discovered the origin of the monkeypox outbreak — and tried to warn the world
- How we talk about monkeypox matters. Experts offer ways to reduce stigma

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