"I called the doctor again and that time he said it was monkeypox." Louis, who is French and lives in Berlin, is one of more than 1,500 people across 25 European countries who have been affected by the first large-scale outbreak of the viral disease outside of endemic countries in West and Central Africa. So far, most cases have involved gay and bisexual men, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/news/item/25-05-2022-monkeypox--public-health-advice-for-gay--bisexual-and-other-men-who-have-sex-with-men, though it has been emphasised that anyone can contract the virus through prolonged close contact or from particles on items such as bedding or towels.