A child with monkeypox. Documentary photo: Reuters/VNA

The group's technical lead for monkeypox, Rosamund Lewis, said Tuesday on CNN International: "We're seeing cases all appearing in a relatively short period of time. We're seeing that in a few days, in a couple of weeks, we're seeing over 500 cases. This is different. This has not been seen before."

The WHO said Monday it is too soon to tell whether a recent monkeypox outbreak could lead to a global pandemic. WHO is examining whether monkeypox outbreaks tend to be treated as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) like COVID-19 or Ebola, thereby speeding up research and funding to prevent a disease.

On Tuesday, the WHO Africa Office said that since the beginning of this year, seven  countries in the region have recorded 44 cases of monkeypox and nearly 1,400 suspected cases.