Doctors in Hong Kong have been warned to be on the lookout for suspected cases of monkeypox

Hong Kong's health authorities have asked local private doctors to be on the lookout for and report doubted monkeypox infections, citing Belgium's 21 day quarantine for infected travellers as a prudent policy.

Outbreaks of the virus have been reported in 12 countries outside of Africa, with 92 cases confirmed in labs and 28 more under investigation as of Saturday.

Even though there have been no reported cases of monkeypox in Hong Kong, local health officials said on Monday that they were closely monitoring the situation.

"We will send a letter to private doctors later today asking them to monitor and report any suspected cases," Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, director of the Centre for Health Protection's (CHP) communicable disease branch, said during a regular Covid-19 press conference.

The virus causes fever, rashes, and swollen lymph nodes. It can also cause a wide range of medical issues

Monkeypox is a self-controlling disease with symptoms lasting 2 to 4 weeks. Some patients may develop severe cases of the virus, with the current fatality rate hovering around 3 to 6%.