The first case in Ireland was identified on Friday.
The number of Irish cases of monkeypox virus has risen to four, just days after the first case was identified.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre says the new cases are not unexpected given the presence of monkeypox cases in the UK and many European countries.
No further information about cases is being provided to maintain patient confidentiality.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre says Public Health is following up with those who had close contact with each case, while they were infected.
The cases here come after the reporting of more than five hundred other confirmed cases of monkeypox in Europe, North America and many other countries worldwide over recent weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that monkeypox constitutes a “moderate risk” to overall public health at the global level after cases were reported in countries where the disease is not typically found.
“The public health risk could become high if this virus exploits the opportunity to establish itself as a human pathogen and spreads to groups at higher risk of severe diseases such as young children and immunosuppressed persons,” WHO said.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild and is endemic in parts of west and central Africa.
The viral infection is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene, according to experts.
“The situation is evolving rapidly and WHO expects that there will be more cases identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries, as well as in countries known to be endemic who have not recently been reporting cases,” WHO stated.
An advisor to the World Health Organisation has said the rise in cases of monkeypox could be explained by risky sexual behaviour at two recent events in Europe.
One theory is that it spread at two raves held in Spain and Belgium.
A Gay Pride event in the Canary Islands and a Madrid sauna are also being investigated as possible sources of the infection.
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