(CMR) Cases of suspected and confirmed monkeypox are being investigated in several European countries, the US, and Canada.
The latest new cases were reported in France, Italy, and Sweden, according to the BBC. Cases were previously confirmed in the US, Spain, and Portugal, along with 13 suspected cases in Canada.
Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa.
Cases of the disease outside of the region are often linked to travel to the area.
According to the UK's National Health Service, monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is usually mild and from which most people recover in a few weeks.
According to BBC, the first case of the disease in the UK was reported on 7 May in a patient who traveled to Nigeria. There are now nine confirmed cases in the UK, but the source of these infections has been confirmed.
In Europe, on Thursday, there was one confirmed case reported in Sweden, one in Italy, and a suspected case in France. On Wednesday, five confirmed cases were reported in Portugal and seven in Spain.
The BBC also reported that although no vaccine has been approved for Monkeypox in Europe, Spanish health authorities have reportedly purchased thousands of smallpox vaccines to deal with the outbreak.
Health authorities in the US state of Massachusetts have confirmed that a man had been infected with monkeypox. He had recently traveled to Canada, and 13 suspected cases of the virus are being investigated.
According to health officials, the man has been hospitalized, is in “good condition,” and “poses no risk to the public”.
Monkeypox belongs to the family of poxviruses, which includes smallpox. The disease got its name after scientists discovered it among laboratory monkeys in 1958, and the first monkeypox case in a human was diagnosed in 1970.
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