Monkeypox continues to spread in Europe.

The first case of monkeypox was also confirmed in Germany on Friday.

As the Bundeswehr Institute for Microbiology in Munich announced, the virus was unequivocally detected in a patient on Thursday.

The patient showed the characteristic skin changes.

On Friday, two first cases of the rare virus infection in Belgium became known.

They were detected by virologists in different cities.

However, Flemish broadcaster VRTNWS reported that both patients attended the same party.

According to the authorities, the first infected person to be diagnosed in Antwerp is not seriously ill and is in isolation with his partner.

The second case is a man from the Flemish Brabant region, as the virologist Marc Van Ranst from Leuven announced on Twitter.

He shouldn't be seriously ill either.

In Spain, the number of infections rose by 14 to a total of 21 cases, according to the authorities in Madrid.

Cases of monkeypox have recently been reported in Great Britain, the USA and Portugal.

Spain, Italy and France reported the first cases on Thursday.

Symptoms include fever, headache, and skin rashes, which usually start on the face and spread to the rest of the body.

The disease is usually mild.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is transmitted to humans from animals, most likely rodents.

Human-to-human transmission is rare, but possible with close contact.

The viral disease occurs mainly in west and central Africa and very rarely elsewhere, making the current outbreaks unusual.

The first cases have also been reported in Australia and Canada.

Australia on Friday reported a first case of monkeypox in a male traveler who had recently returned from the UK.

Another suspected case, in a man who also recently traveled to Europe, is still under investigation.

In Canada, two cases have been reported in the province of Quebec, the first confirmed infections in the country.

The authorities are also investigating 17 suspected cases.