An epidemiologist says historic cases of monkeypox have never "exploded" in as many countries as the current cluster has.
University of Canterbury Associate Professor of Epidemiology Arindam Basu told The Project the mystery remains on why monkeypox is spreading so far.
"Traditionally monkeypox is known to be caused by animal-to-human transmission, it's different - we are seeing that there is human-to-human transmission which is not very common at all."
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Disease's Jimmy Whitworth said the virus is spreading in places it wouldn't be expected in.
"What we are not sure about is how connected the cases are and this has never been seen before."
Prof Basu said gay and bisexual men form a large proportion in current cases.
As of Saturday, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases across 12 countries were reported and that number is likely to grow.
So should Aotearoa be worried monkeypox will soon be knocking on our door?
Prof Basu told The Project with Aotearoa's borders now open we shouldn't be surprised if cases do pop up.
"Somebody who has got the infection may be crossing the border now as we are speaking. At the moment we are okay but the speed in which it is propagating overseas does leave room for worry."
Belgium has introduced a compulsory monkeypox 21-day quarantine after three cases were linked to a festival in Antwerp.
Watch the full interview above.
