The United Arab Emirates recorded four more cases of monkeypox, the health ministry said on Wednesday, raising the toll to eight.

“Monkeypox is a viral disease, but usually a self-limited one, if compared to COVID-19. It’s mostly transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, including bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets, or with material contaminated with the virus. It can also be passed to the baby in the womb,” the ministry said in a statement.

It urged the community to follow appropriate preventive measures and careful precautions while traveling and to stay safer in large crowds and avoid risky behaviors.

It also reassured the community that the UAE health authorities are taking all necessary measures, including investigation, examination of contacts, and monitoring their health.

Moreover, the ministry stressed that it is cooperating with other health authorities in implementing an epidemiological surveillance system, in accordance with the highest global practices, to ensure sustainable efficiency and community protection from communicable diseases, and rapid detection, as well as work to limit the spread of all diseases and viruses, including monkeypox.

The UAE recorded three cases of monkeypox in late May, nearly a week after announcing the Gulf state’s first case of the virus in a young woman who traveled from West Africa.