The WHOShort for the World Health Organisation. official stared at the figures anxiously. There was nothing new about monkeypox - it had been endemicCommon to a particular place or community. in some African countries for years. But now reports of it were coming in from parts of the world where it was not usually found: 10 European countries, plus the US and Canada. Stranger still, many of the sufferers had never even been to Africa. 

Monkeypox is a viral infection first discoveredIt was identified in monkeys in 1958 and in humans in 1970. in monkeys - hence the name. The initial symptoms include headaches, fever, back pain, swelling and aching muscles.

These can be followed by a rash, which is often extremely itchy. It usually starts on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body, particularly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Finally it forms a scab, which later falls off, sometimes leaving scars.

The disease usually lasts between 14 and 21 days and clears up on its own. It does not spread easily but can be transmitted by close physical contact.

Animals can also play a part. There was a rare outbreak in the US in 2003, when rodents brought in from Ghana gave the virus to prairie dogsLarge burrowing rodents that live on the grasslands of North America.  in Illinois, which were then sold as pets and infected 47 people.

The disease is most commonly found in remote parts of Central and West Africa. In the UK, there have been isolated cases, usually in people who have travelled from Nigeria. The first case in the current outbreak was identified on 7 May.

By yesterday, a further 19 had been found. The health authorities advised that anyone who thinks they have the virus should self-isolate for 21 days.

In other European countries and North America, 72 more cases had been confirmed, while a further 28 were suspected. 

There are several theories as to why the numbers have suddenly multiplied. One is that there could have been a "superspreader" event in Africa, from which people took the virus home.

It is also possible that there have always been more cases than experts realised - they just went undiagnosed because doctors were not alert to them.

Another suggestion is that monkeypox was previously held in check by vaccinations against smallpoxA disease estimated to have killed 300 million people in the 20th Century., to which it is closely related. But since smallpox was eradicatedWiped out. The WHO announced that there were no more cases in 1980., those vaccinations have stopped.

The upside is that the world still has large supplies of the smallpox vaccine, which is 85% effective against monkeypox. The US, worried that bioterroristsTerrorists who use biological weapons to spread disease. might reintroduce smallpox, has enough for its entire population.

Monkeypox can be fatal, and some outbreaks of the most common variety have killed around 1% of those infected. But health authorities emphasise that these were in very deprived communities and that people with proper access to healthcare should not panic.

One expert, Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech, urges caution nevertheless. "We can't use what happened with previous monkeypox outbreaks to make sweeping statements. If we've learned anything from Covid, it's to have humility."

Yes: It is a dangerous disease which jumped from animals to humans and is spreading in a way we do not understand. Unless strict measures are taken quickly, it could get completely out of control. 

No: Unlike Covid, we already know a lot about monkeypox. We have plenty of vaccines and a possible hospital treatment. It is not very infectious, and most cases are very mild.

Or... Even if it does not cause a pandemic, it reminds us that another one could be around the corner. We need to act on what we have learnt from Covid and make sure we are prepared.