The World Health Organization has reported that so far about 80 cases of smallpox in 12 countries have been confirmed and that another 50 suspicious cases are being investigated.

Infections have been confirmed in nine European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia, reports the

"The spread of aphids can be accelerated in the region as people gather during festivals organized during the summer," said Hans Kluge, regional director of the World Health Organization for Europe.

Monkeys belong to the virus family, which includes smallpox.

They are a rare viral disease that is mostly mild and from which most people recover after a few weeks.

According to the World Health Organization, the death rate from aphids has been up to 11 percent since the first case was discovered in Congo in the early 1970s and has recently changed between 3 and 6 percent.

There is no vaccine for aphids, but those used to eradicate the disease are up to 85 percent effective against aphids.