How far has mpox spread and how can you protect yourself?

A physician assistant prepares a syringe with the mpox vaccine for a patient at a vaccination clinic in New York on Friday, August 19, 2022 [Mary Altaffer/AP]

At least two countries outside of Africa have reported mpox cases after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the virus had become a “public health emergency” earlier this week.

A relatively new strain of the virus known as clade 1 has been spreading in African countries since 2022.