France, Belgium, and Germany On Friday, became the first European and North American countries to record cases of monkeypox, a disease that is widespread in areas of Africa.

Monkeypox was discovered in a 29-year-old male in the Ile-de-France area, which includes Paris, who had not recently returned from a place where the virus was active, according to French health officials.

Separately, the German armed forces’ microbiology institute verified the virus in a patient who developed skin sores, a disease symptom.

And in Belgium, microbiologist Emmanuel Andre confirmed in a tweet that the University of Leuven’s lab had confirmed a second of two cases in the country, in a man from the Flemish Brabant.

With the growing number of detected cases in several European countries, Germany’s health agency Robert Koch Institute has urged people returning from West Africa, and in particular gay men, to see their doctors quickly if they notice any chances on their skin.

The rare disease — which is not usually fatal — often manifests itself through fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.

The virus can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions and droplets of a contaminated person, as well as through shared items such as bedding and towels.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it was looking closely at the issue and in particular that some of the cases in the UK appeared to have been transmitted within the gay community.

Monkeypox cases have also been found in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, as well as the United States and Canada, raising fears that the disease, which is generally limited to Central and West Africa, is spreading.

According to the WHO, monkeypox normally goes away in two to four weeks.