Outbreaks of monkeypox in the UK, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France and the US are causing alarm.

In Spain, the health authorities reported the first seven cases on Thursday.

There are also 22 suspected cases, all in the Madrid region.

"It is possible that we will have more cases in the coming days," the head of the capital region's health service, Antonio Zapatero, told radio station Onda Cero.

Also in Italy, the first case of monkeypox infection was detected at the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome.

According to the clinic, the person who returned from a stay in the Canary Islands is in isolation.

Two other suspected cases are still under investigation.

In the evening, the French Ministry of Health reported initial evidence in the Paris/Ile-de-France region.

In Portugal, the number of infections increased by nine to a total of 14 cases.

The nine patients in Portugal are in stable health and are being closely monitored, according to the Portuguese health authority DSG.

Most cases have been reported in and around the capital, Lisbon.

Experts are now trying to identify chains of infection and possible new cases.

People with "suspicious symptoms" such as skin rashes were asked to avoid direct physical contact with others.

The outbreaks are worrying because the viral disease, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, occurs mainly in west and central Africa and very rarely elsewhere.

The Robert Koch Institute advised that a monkeypox infection should be considered in the case of suspicious symptoms - especially in those returning from (West) Africa.

As four of the UK cases involve men who have sex with men, men with unusual skin changes and lesions who have had sex with other men should also seek immediate medical attention.

“Will not trigger a nationwide epidemic”

Monkeypox is caused by a virus that causes symptoms of fever and a characteristic skin rash.

It spreads through close contact, both through transmissions from animals and, although less frequently, between people.

It was first found in monkeys in 1958, and rodents are now thought to be the main host.

The disease is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe -- with a mortality rate of up to 10 percent -- and the West African strain, which is fatal in about 1 percent of cases.

The UK cases are assigned to the West African tribe.

“Very few cases have been exported in the past.

Before this year, that only happened eight times," said Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He described the spread as “highly unusual”, but also advised not to panic: “It will not trigger a nationwide epidemic like Covid did, but it is a serious outbreak of a serious disease – and we should take him seriously.”

In the United States, a first case of monkeypox was reported in the state of Massachusetts on Wednesday in a man who had recently traveled to Canada.

The first case became known in Great Britain at the beginning of May, where seven cases have been confirmed so far.