More than 18,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox have now been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from more than 78 countries and regions, with more than 70 percent of the cases reported from Europe, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said on Wednesday.

"So far, five deaths have been reported, and about 10 percent of monkeypox cases are admitted to hospital to manage the pain caused by the disease," he mentioned.