EXPLAINER: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading?

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — European and American health authorities have identified a number of cases of monkeypox this week, a surprising outbreak of an illness that has previously been limited mostly to central and western Africa. Doctors are still unsure how exactly monkeypox is spreading. The disease is normally transmitted either from wild animals like rodents and primates or from very close contact with infected people. British officials say most recent cases have been men who have had sex with men — and who had no history of travel to Africa. That suggests the disease is already spreading in the country.