The World Health Organization called on Friday for ‘urgent’ action to prevent the spread of monkeypox in Europe, noting that cases had tripled there over the past two weeks.

“Today, I am intensifying my call for governments and civil society to scale up efforts … to prevent monkeypox from establishing itself across a growing geographical area,” WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri Kluge said.

“Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn a corner in the race to reverse the ongoing spread of this disease.”

Since early May, a surge in monkeypox cases has been detected outside West and Central African countries where the viral disease is endemic.