Experts who have monitored previous outbreaks of monkeypox have said they are “stunned” by the recent spread of the virus in Europe and North America.

Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury, has said monkeypox is not a “repeat” of the Covid pandemic.

Watch his make the comments here:

The UK is expected to announce an increase on its 20 confirmed cases of monkeypox later today.

It comes after a senior doctor warned new cases were being reported every day.

Furvah Shah reports on the situation in the UK:

Monkeypox is not a “repeat of” Covid-19, a UK government minister has assured.

“As with any new disease, and obviously after the Covid pandemic doubly so, we continue to monitor this very closely,” Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News.

“I would say I am cautious but I am certainly not concerned about our ability to handle the situation.

“There is a vaccine which is available and works for monkeypox, and all the evidence is that it is spread by physical contact.

Mr Clarke added: “What I would say is we are cautious but we are certainly not in a position where I would in anyway worry the public that this is some repeat of Covid, because it certainly does not appear to be anywhere near the same platform of seriousness.”

Joe Biden has also said the smallpox vaccine works for monkeypox.

Asked whether the US has enough stockpiles of that vaccine to handle the monkeypox spread, the US president said: “I think we do have enough to deal with the likelihood of a problem.”

The US president has sought to calm concerns about recent cases of monkeypox around the globe.

Joe Biden said at the weekend the virus was something “to be concerned about”.

He has now clarified: “I just don’t think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with Covid-19.”

Here is a quick reminder about what we know about monkeypox so far:

Belgium has become the first country a compulsory 21-day quarantine for monkeypox patients.

All those testing positive for monkeypox virus would have to self-isolate for three weeks Belgian health authorities have said, after at least four cases were confirmed.

An increasing number of countries are reporting their first cases of monkeypox while the tally has been rising in countries where the virus is already present. The outbreak is now said to be the “largest and most widespread ever seen in Europe” where a dozen of countries have reported cases.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that there are 20 cases of monkeypox in the country since the first case was detected on 6 May. “We anticipated that further cases would be detected through our active case finding with NHS services and heightened vigilance among healthcare professionals,” Susan Hopkins said.

In the US, the tally is expected to rise to three after a health agency is running tests on an individual in south Florida. The case in Broward County, Florida, is “related to international travel,” CDC said on Sunday. The two other cases have been detected in Massachusetts and New York city.

The total tally in Spain reached 30 after 23 cases were confirmed in a single day. A sauna in Madrid has been linked to a majority of cases which has been closed. Madrid authorities said they are working on tracing the cases mainly from a super-spreader event in the sauna.

Canada has confirmed five cases of the virus since the first was detected on Friday. Authorities said provinces are continuing to investigate “a couple dozen” possible cases throughout Canada and more are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

Australia has at least two cases of monkeypox after the cases were detected in people returning from abroad. A man in his 30s who arrived in Melbourne on Monday was confirmed to have the virus, Victoria state’s health department said, while another case was identified in Sydney in a man in his 40s who had recently travelled to Europe.

The country has become the first in the world to make 21-day quarantine for the patients affected by the virus. It has at least five cases of the virus.

The country has 21 to 30 confirmed cases, according to WHO. All the Portuguese cases involve men, most of them young, authorities said.

In Europe, other countries to report at least one to five infections are France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

Over the weekend, Austria, Israel and Switzerland became the latest countries to confirm their first monkeypox virus cases.

Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the canton of Bern in a person with travel history abroad. The person has been isolated and contact tracing is being conducted.

“Currently, an accumulation of monkeypox infections is observed in Europe and North America. A first case has also been confirmed in Switzerland (Canton Bern),” it said.

On Sunday, Austria confirmed one suspected case of monkeypox in Vienna. The person had a mild illness with light fever and pustules on his face.

Late Saturday, Israel also confirmed its first case of the virus, making it the very first case of monkeypox in the Middle East. Israel‘s Health Ministry said late Saturday the man was in a Tel Aviv hospital in good condition. It called on anyone returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor.