Tonight monkey pox spreading further into the Americas, the world health organization announcing action must be taken now, as hundreds of cases are reported in over 20 countries globally.

We are afraid that there will be a spread in community but currently it's very hard to assess this risk, we think that if we put in place the right measure now we probably can contain this easily.

Today the first confirmed case of the virus in south America, here in the U.S 10 cases reported across eight states.

The global tally outside of Africa about 300 more than a third of them in Europe, but officials are urging the public to stay calm.

This is not a disease the general public should be worried off it's not like Covid or other diseases that spread fast.

Monkey pox has circulated at low levels in central and west Africa over the past four decades and the WHO stresses the virus hasn't mutated.

They say the strain reported in other continents in recent weeks is mild, and patients usually recover in a few weeks.

Symptoms include fever fatigue fluid-filled bumps and lymph node swelling, it then progresses to rashes of raised bumps that turn into blisters and eventually dry out and fall off.

The virus can spread through infected persons lesions contaminated bed sheets or clothing and respiratory droplets, if the infected person has a lesion in their mouth.

Dr Amesh Adalja from the Johns Hopkins center for health security tells me that new studies show on average, a person infected with monkey pox will transmit the disease to another one to two people.

If you are somebody that's part of those social networks, if you're a man who has sex with men.

If you're a person who goes to events where there might be multiple sexual contacts, that occur you need to be aware that monkey pox could be circulating there.

As far as hospitalization and fatality rates we might see associated with the disease.

We've heard about a handful of hospital hospitalizations here most of these cases are not very severe.

If you look to 2003 and the four dozen cases that occurred in the United states there was zero mortality.

This week the CDC issuing a level two travel warning for monkey pox, advising travelers to avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin or genital lesions.

As well as contact with dead or live animals and eating or preparing meat from wild game.

And Isa Gutierrez is joining me now, Isa, the CDC has released vaccine guidance about the monkey pox, what does that look like?

Yeah that's right Kate, they're actually recommending small pox vaccines to protect people who might be at risk of occupational exposure to the monkey pox virus.

As well as for people who were already exposed to the virus, they say that these vaccines could help prevent the onset of illness.

Or at least if taken within the right amount of time after exposure to reduce possible symptoms.

And by the way, Kate, the government says that there are plenty of these vaccines to go around for those folks right now. - That's some good news, Isa, thank you so much.