Updated 3.35pm to include newly-discovered case in Italy.
There are currently no confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in Malta, health authorities have confirmed, as cases of the virus spread in Europe.
Monkeypox is a rare disease that is usually linked to contact with wild animals in west and central Africa. Cases have been detected in the UK, Spain and Portugal as well as the United States over the past weeks.
Italy reported its first case on Thursday, saying it was identified in a young adult who had recently returned from the Canary Islands. He is being treated in isolation and is in a reasonable condition. Two other suspected cases are being investigated.
Canada said it is investigating more than a dozen suspected cases
A spokesperson for the Health Ministry that no cases have been detected locally and doctors have been alerted to watch out for patients who may be exhibiting symptoms.
“There are no confirmed or suspected cases reported in Malta,” the spokesperson said.
“The health authorities are monitoring the situation and they have alerted doctors to notify any suspected cases.”
Symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than smallpox. Infected people develop flu-like symptoms — fever, body aches, chills, but also swollen lymph nodes.
Nine cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the UK since May 6, 30 suspected cases in Spain and Portugal as well as one confirmed case in the US.
Most people who contract the virus tend to recover in a few weeks and it has only been fatal in very rare cases.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation said that it had been notified that one cluster of the virus in the UK had emerged from the same household, while four additional cases were reported through sexual health services, where a cluster of male gay and bisexual patients presented with a rash as well as symptoms of illness.
The source of infection has yet to be confirmed, the WHO added, but evidence suggested that this was may have been acquired locally in the UK. Isolation of the patients, as well as intensive contact tracing, was ongoing, they said.
"We really need to better understand the extent of monkeypox in endemic countries... to really understand how much is circulating and the risk that it poses for people who are living there, as well as the risk of exportation," infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said at a WHO press conference on Tuesday.
The WHO also reported that on May 7, an individual returned to the UK after travelling to Nigeria and subsequently tested positive for monkeypox, however, this case does not appear to be related to the previously mentioned clusters.
The UK Health Security Agency said that while monkeypox has not previously been listed as a sexually transmitted disease, it may be passed on by direct contact during sex.
The America Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Wednesday that monkeypox can be spread through contact with monkeypox sores or items that have been contaminated with fluids or sorer.
The WHO has not recommended any restrictions for travel or trade with the United Kingdom, based on the current information and will continue to monitor the situation.