Canada confirms 112 monkeypox cases
Posted June 10, 2022 10:12 am.
Last Updated June 10, 2022 10:15 am.
Canada’s monkeypox case count has risen, with 112 infections confirmed in total across the country.
In an update shared Friday, Canada Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam says there is one case in B.C., four in Alberta, nine in Ontario, and 98 in Quebec.
“We are closely monitoring emerging data and as we learn more, our response and advice will continue to evolve,” she said.
Tam notes the age range among cases ranges from 20 to 63 years. All of the cases have been reported in males, with the majority reporting sexual contact with other men, though Tam stresses the virus can be “spread to anyone through close contact with an infected person.”
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer says there are now 112 confirmed cases of Monkeypox in Canada.
The patients range in age from 20-63. All cases to date are male and mainly involve men who have had sex with other men. This is not an STI#cdnpoli— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) June 10, 2022
Canada is expecting its monkepox case count to rise further in the days ahead as testing continues on a number of suspected cases.
“In addition, the NML (National Microbiology Lab) is conducting sequencing of the virus causing Canadian cases. Early results indicate that cases in Canada are related to the international outbreak. Further work is being done to better understand chains of transmission domestically in support of the ongoing outbreak investigation,” explained Tam, who adds the primary goal right now is to contain the outbreak in Canada.
Previously, the Public Health Agency of Canada urged travellers to be extra careful abroad because of the spread of monkeypox. The federal government issued a level-two travel health notice for several countries to encourage people travelling internationally to take additional precautions.
People who have been exposed to monkeypox are told to monitor for symptoms. Symptoms of monkeypox can present from 5-21 days after exposure.
People who have been infected with the virus, which is an orthopoxvirus, typically present with symptoms including fever, a rash, and swollen lymph nodes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the incubation period of the virus can range from five to 21 days.
The WHO has said the “the situation is evolving rapidly.”
Meanwhile, as agencies continue to report cases being identified in certain groups, mainly men who have sex with men, there have been growing concerns about stigma around transmission.
Tam and other experts have stressed that the virus is not isolated to any one group of people, adding anyone is susceptible.
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Dr. Troy Grennan, physician lead of the HIV/STI Program at the BC Centre for Disease Control, has told CityNews it is important to approach the situation with consideration, adding, “there are key lessons we can learn from the past.”
“We just have to make sure we are recognizing what is happening, but doing it in a way that isn’t judgmental, isn’t stigmatizing, isn’t shaming,” Grennan said.
“I think it’s very dangerous to label or tie this to a particular group. If we look at all of the past monkeypox outbreaks that we’ve seen, at least the ones that we know about, there’s really nothing to indicate that it’s an infection that only spreads among a particular group,” he added.
