Public Health Ontario reports eight new confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ottawa in the past week.
Updated figures released on Wednesday showed 31 confirmed cases and one probable case in the nation’s capital, up from 23 confirmed cases last week.
The Ottawa Health Unit has the second highest number of confirmed monkeypox cases in the province after Toronto.
Provincial officials say there are a total of 423 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province, up from 326 last week. Of these, 329 were reported by Toronto Public Health. All but two confirmed cases in the district have been in men.
No new monkeypox-related hospitalizations have been reported in Ontario in the past week. To date, Public Health Ontario has confirmed 11 hospitalizations and 2 intensive care unit admissions for monkeypox since May 20.
The World Health Organization has called the spread of the virus a global emergency. Public Health Ontario identifies engaging in sexual or intimate contact (eg, hugging, kissing, cuddling) with a new and/or multiple partner as one of the most common risk factors for monkeypox in the province; however, officials stress that while most identified cases have affected men who have sex with men, anyone can get monkeypox.
Symptoms of monkeypox include high fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, exhaustion, and a rash that often appears on the face and limbs a few days after symptoms begin. The virus can be transmitted to another person through contact with exposed skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, or mouth.
From June 20 to August 2, Ottawa Public Health administered 1,757 monkeypox vaccines. More details about who is eligible for the monkeypox vaccine and where to get it can be found on the OPH website.
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