‘This is not the kind of spread we’ve seen in West Africa, so there may be something new happening in the West,’ one expert said.

Experts who have monitered previous outbreaks of monkeypox have said they are “stunned” by the recent spread of the virus in Europe and North America.

According to the most recent figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are about 80 confirmed cases worldwide and 50 more suspected.

Tomori, who sits on several WHO advisory boards, added: “This is not the kind of spread we’ve seen in West Africa, so there may be something new happening in the West.”.

On Friday, eleven more cases of monkeypox were identified in England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

She said a notable proportion of recent cases in the UK and Europe have been found in gay and bisexual men, and encouraged them to be particularly “alert to the symptoms and seek help if concerned”.

Health officials in Spain and Portugal also said their cases were in young men who mostly had sex with other men.

Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days.

Happi said: “Aside from people in west and Central Africa who may have some immunity to monkeypox from past exposure, not having any smallpox vaccination means nobody has any kind of immunity to monkeypox.”.

His remarks come as health officials in South Africa call for an investigation into the European outbreak to determine those first infected with monkeypox?

Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days

Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days