Until now, the disease has mainly occurred in forest regions of central and western Africa, with sporadic cases in other countries linked to travel to these regions. Since the start of May 2022, however, the disease has spread across Europe and beyond, with infections occurring mainly in men who have sexual contact with men, but not exclusively.
Last week, Public Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced that healthcare providers and people who have had high-risk unprotected contact with an infected person can get vaccinated once morest monkeypox this week. This vaccination should ideally take place within four days of contact.