Monkeypox has been detected in Portugal and Spain in what could be the first global outbreak of the rare disease.

Spain is monitoring eight men who it believes are infected, with tests being carried out to confirm the virus.

All of the men are gay or bisexual, according to local media, and most were detected at STI clinics in Madrid.

Five men in Portugal have also tested positive and at least 15 more are cases are being investigated, health officials there said today.

These cases are all male and mostly ‘young’, but it is not yet clear how they caught the virus.