Monkeypox timeline: From beginnings in Africa to global spread

A healthcare worker administers a vaccine for the prevention of monkeypox in Wilton Manors, Florida. – Photo: AFP

As monkeypox infections jump around the world, prompting a scramble for vaccines, AFP looks at how the disease has spread since first appearing in Africa in the 1970s.

The World Health Organization on Saturday declared the outbreak, which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries, to be a global health emergency -- the highest alarm it can sound.