Canada already has 77 confirmed cases of monkeypox, 71 in Quebec, five in Ontario and one in Alberta.
Speaking to reporters at a health briefing on Friday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the risk of exposure to monkeypox “is not unique to any group or environment.”
“Anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can become infected and spread the virus if they come into close contact, including intimate sexual contact with an infected person or an infected person,” she added.
READ MORE: Outbreaks such as monkeypox are on the rise, WHO warns
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, monkeypox is a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans and comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox, which was declared eradicated in 1980.
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Symptoms of monkeypox consist mainly of skin lesions on the mouth and genitals and may include fever and headache, as well as joint and muscle pain, according to the WHO.
Worldwide, there are 550 confirmed cases in 30 non-endemic countries where the virus is not usually detected.
1:14 WHO does not expect monkeypox to become a new pandemic WHO does not expect monkeypox to become a new pandemic
Canada confirmed its first two cases of monkeypox on May 19, when two people in Quebec tested positive for the rare disease.
The cases of monkeypox in Canada are thought to have originated from a local sauna in Montreal, doctors told Global News.
However, government officials have so far not confirmed the origin of the monkeypox in Canada, citing concerns about privacy and stigma.
Read more: Sauna in Montreal suggests the origin of the outbreak of monkeypox in Canada: doctors
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Despite the growing number since then, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr Howard Nju said last week that mass vaccination is still not needed.
Nju said that because the virus “does not discriminate” and can be spread through close contact with an infected person, people can avoid infection by “keeping a physical distance from people outside their homes.”
“In addition, wearing masks, covering up coughing and sneezing, and practicing frequent hand washing continue to be important, especially in public places,” he told reporters at a health briefing last week.
– with files from Canadian Press, Saba Aziz and Sean Boynton
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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