Orthopoxviruses are a group of zoonotic, phylogenetically related, double-stranded DNA viruses. The genus Orthopoxvirus belongs to the family Poxviridae, under which there are several genera, including Parapoxvirus, Avipoxvirus, Capripoxvirus, Leporipoxvirus, Suipoxvirus, Molluscipoxvirus, and Yatapoxvirus. Historically, the most widely reported infection caused by an Orthopoxvirus is smallpox—a disease of humans from time immemorial. The global eradication program for smallpox started in the mid-20th century, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) proposing a global smallpox eradication program in 1959

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