The monkeypox outbreak is now a global health emergency, the World Health Organization has ruled.
The number of reported cases has increased by five times in the last month, WHO said, reaching 16,000 in 75 countries and including five deaths.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus overruled his emergency committee after it remained divided on the subject last week.
He warned that the virus is spreading rapidly to countries that have not experienced it before.
He said: “In short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations.
“For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”
He added: “Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.
“That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups. It’s therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.
“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus. In addition to our recommendations to countries, I am also calling on civil society organisations, including those with experience in working with people living with HIV, to work with us on fighting stigma and discrimination.”
The UK so far has recorded 2,208 cases of infection and has launched a targeted vaccination campaign in London.
Dr Josie Golding, head of epidemics at Wellcome, said: “Our world is growing increasingly vulnerable to outbreaks of infectious disease. The declaration of another Public Health Emergency of International Concern should serve as stark reminder to world leaders of this modern reality, and the weaknesses in our collective ability to prepare and respond.
“With monkeypox cases continuing to rise and spread to more countries, we now face a dual challenge: an endemic disease in Africa that has been neglected for decades, and a novel outbreak affecting marginalised communities. Governments must take this more seriously and work together internationally to bring this outbreak under control.”
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