The Ontario Attorney General has issued an order to health care providers requiring them to report to local authorities any possible or suspected cases of monkeypox.
A copy of the order, issued under section 77.6 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, states that health care providers must provide Ontario public health with information about each patient who meets the “case definitions.” monkeypox.
The information will be used for investigative purposes, as well as for case and contact management.
The Ministry of Health confirmed to CTV News Toronto that the order was issued on May 20, the day before the first suspected case in Ontario was identified.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) said Saturday that there was a suspicion of infection in a man in his 40s who had recently been in contact with a man traveling to Montreal.
The man is in stable condition and is recovering in hospital, officials said. Anyone who attended the Axis Club (located at 722 College Street) on May 14 or at Woody’s Bar (located at 467 Church Street) on May 13 or May 14 may have been exhibited and asked to observe themselves. for symptoms.
Speaking to CP24 the next day, TPH nurse Dr. Rita Shahin said monkeypox usually begins with fever and a general feeling of malaise – the lymph nodes may be swollen and the patient may experience muscle pain.
“A few days later, it can progress to a rash that starts on the face first. The lesions look a bit like chickenpox. They start with small red bumps and then fill with clear fluid and then the rash will spread to the rest of the body.
At the same time, Shahin said that monkeypox did not spread easily and usually required prolonged face-to-face contact or skin-to-skin contact with the lesions.
“The risk is really low. It doesn’t spread as easily as COVID, which is reassuring, but we ask anyone who may have been exposed to just watch out for any unusual lesions they may have. “
Anyone with symptoms is encouraged to seek medical attention.
WHAT DOES A SUSPECTED CASE MEAN?
According to the order in section 77.6, a presumed case of monkeypox is defined as a new rash and at least one other acute sign or symptom of the disease. This also means that an alternative diagnosis cannot fully explain the patient’s illness.
“Probable case” is defined as a patient who meets the definition of a presumed case, but also has a high-risk exposure to a probable or confirmed case of monkeypox, has a history of travel to a confirmed region or has a “corresponding zoonotic exposure”.
The case was confirmed when a laboratory test was performed and the DNA of the monkeypox virus was detected.
The incubation period can vary between 5 and 21 days, officials say.
An internal note sent to healthcare providers and public health services, along with an order received from CTV News, the chief medical officer of healthcare asked doctors to treat monkeypox as a diagnosis “in people with signs and symptoms that may be compatible. , especially those with a history of travel to affected countries or other risk factors. “
“Please do not limit your concerns or suspicions about the diagnosis to men who report having sex with other men, as anyone who has close personal contact with a person infected with the monkeypox virus may be at risk for the disease. “Moore writes. “I urge all healthcare providers to be vigilant for patients with symptoms that correspond to a monkeypox virus infection, especially if they have traveled or been in contact with a certain case.
The note also states that close contacts of patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox should observe the symptoms themselves for 21 days after exposure. If symptoms begin to appear, these individuals should seek care, be tested, and self-isolate.
The World Health Organization has confirmed 92 cases of monkeypox worldwide, along with up to 28 suspected cases, including up to 25 in Canada.
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