I wonder if monkey pox originated from human sexual contact with a green monkey?
The reservoir is thought to be rodents in Western and Central Africa (rope squirrels, Gambian rats, etc.). Monkeys and people can catch it, too, but are not primary hosts. Human cases in Africa are mainly associated with “bushmeat”.
There was an outbreak in the US in 2003 that originated from wild-caught African rodents imported for the pet trade:
Probably eating the monkey.
Handling Bush meat (the African equivalent of whatever Cajuns eat) is the most common originating cause.
It it then spreads by direct contact and bodily fluids.
That assertion goes way back, but it was reportedly acquired through bushmeat.