These are POSSIBLE signs and symptoms, so some patients may have most of these and some may have very few of these clinical features Monkeypox Signs & Symptoms (First Symptom & Stages of Rash) Monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, leading to a characteristic pox rash. In this lesson, we discuss the signs and symptoms of monkeypox, including the 2 stages of disease, the most common first symptom and stages or skin rash. I hope you find this lesson helpful. If you do, please like and subscribe for more lessons like this one!