Every day, new countries add to the total number of monkeypox cases reported. Denmark was last added to the list on Monday.
The World Health Organization released a map (below) on Sunday showing the known cases until May 21.
The virus is also endemic to parts of West and Central Africa, with a particular concentration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but this has been the case for decades without international spread on this scale.
Here is the situation as it is around the world.
United Kingdom
The UK reported at least 21 cases of monkey pox on Sunday, including the first in Scotland, with more expected to be added on Monday.
Unlike in some other countries, according to Dr. Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK Health Security Agency, said no other event has been linked to the spread.
However, a “remarkable proportion” of the cases involved gay and bisexual men, and the government urged caution in those communities.
Early monkey pox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. A rash goes through several stages and starts to look like chickenpox before it clears up.
Spain and Portugal
Spain was the epicenter of an outbreak that was also the source of a number of cases in other European countries. Many of the cases – 30 on Sunday – have been traced to a single super spreader event in a Madrid sauna.
Portugal revealed it had 23 cases on Friday, including the most in Europe, with all cases then being “outpatient”, meaning they were not hospitalized.
Elders in Europa
Belgium became the first country to introduce mandatory quarantine and told monkey pox patients to stay at home for 21 days. Contacts do not need to isolate, but should be careful in their contacts. At least four cases of the disease have been identified, at least three of which are related to a festival held in Antwerp in May.
France, Italy and Germany reported their first cases late last week. The case of France was in the Ile-de-France region, in which Paris is located. The Italian case was diagnosed in Rome with someone who had arrived from the Canary Islands.
The Netherlands admitted on Saturday that “a few cases” had been found, while in Sweden it was confirmed that a person in the Stockholm area was infected.
Israel, Austria and Switzerland confirmed the cases on Sunday. Denmark reported its first case on Monday, in a man who had just returned from Spain.
Beyond
Australia, Canada and the United States also reported monkeypox outbreaks
Australia reported a case in a traveler who had recently returned from the UK, and another likely case in someone who had returned from Europe.
In Canada, public health officials have confirmed 5 cases in Quebec and are investigating several others.
In the United States, a resident of Canada returned with the disease on May 18.
endemic countries
There have also been cases of monkey pox in some West African countries where the disease is endemic.
The disease is considered endemic in Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana (animals only), Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan, according to the World Health Organization.
Figures show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had the most cases and deaths, with 1,238 cases from January 1 to May 1, in addition to 57 deaths.
Other countries mentioned by the WHO include Nigeria (46 cases), Cameroon (25 cases) and the Central African Republic (6 cases).