The statement by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Secretary-General of the WHO, comes after a meeting with a committee of experts on whether the UN health agency should issue its strongest emergency alert as a result of the proliferation.
Since May, the number of cases of monkey pox has increased rapidly outside those parts of western and central Africa where the disease has long been endemic.
The majority of the new cases have been discovered in Western Europe.
In total, the WHO has registered over 3,200 confirmed cases and one death in 2022.
Disturbing spread
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that the expert committee presented "very worrying" data on the spread of monkey pox at the meeting.
"They informed me that the current situation does not pose an international threat to human health (WHO's highest level of warning), but pointed out that the very convening of the committee reflects the increasingly worrying international spread of smallpox," he said.
The WHO chief also emphasizes the importance of taking immediate action such as surveillance, contact tracing and isolation, as well as ensuring the availability of vaccines and that treatment is available to risk groups.
The committee will be on standby for the next few days and weeks, depending on how the infection spreads.