"Several outbreaks" of monkeypox have been reported and contained during the Covid-19 pandemic, says Africa Centre for Disease Control Deputy-Director Ahmed Ogwell.

"We also expect that other outbreaks will come and we'll handle it in the usual way," Dr Ogwell.

But he says the reason that cases outside the continent are worrying is because the disease is common in tropical rainforest areas - mostly in remote parts of central and west Africa.

People catch monkeypox from animals. Person-to-person transmission isn't common as it requires close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva or pus from lesions formed due to the infection.

According to the World Health Organization most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to one in 10 people.