Tanapox

What is Tanapox virus?

Tanapox is a very rare zoonotic disease caused by the Tanapox virus (TANV). This virus belongs to the Poxviridae family of viruses, but is very different from other poxviruses which have been associated with human disease (including cowpox, mpox, smallpox, molluscum contagiosum, and orf). A member of the Yatapoxvirus genus, TANV was first described following epidemics in 1957 and 1962 in the Tana River Valley of Kenya.