| World Health Assembly declared that the world is free from smallpox virus infection and vaccination against smallpox is not recommended since May 8, 1980. Since then several incidences of infections due to poxvirus reported in different parts of the world in humans and animals and the trend has now been increasing. In India, camelpox and buffalopox are the two important Orthopoxvirus (OPV) infections considered as emerging public health concern since last decade due to augmented reports of outbreaks and isolated cases. Both are highly contagious zoonotic viral diseases. Camelpox is an economically important, notifiable skin disease of camelids and could be used as a potential bio-warfare agent. Though, vaccines are available in few countries, this disease has received much attention in present days due to emergence of infections in human beings. Buffalopox is also causing tangible and intangible losses in affected herds which has no commercial vaccines at field to protect. Hence, novel, specific, sensitive, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic techniques would be useful in identification, thereby early implementations of therapeutic and preventives measures to curtail these diseases. This review provides an overview on the epidemiology, clinical picture, biology, diagnostic approaches and the preventive measures on the two emerging and re-emerging disease of India viz. camelpox and buffalopox.