The rate of spread of monkeypox appears to be slowing in Ontario, as the province reported its first case in a female patient this week.
Public Health Ontario says there are now 156 cases in Ontario, up from 133 on July 11 and 101 on July 6, with 124 of the total cases in Toronto.
The first female case was confirmed through diagnostic testing some time in the past three days.
There is no other information about the patient.
There are eight other probable cases in the province that remain under investigation.
Of those 156 cases, Public Health Ontario says 124 are in Toronto.
Ottawa reported 11 cases, Middlesex-London reported four and Halton Region reported three cases.
The number of confirmed cases per day appears to have slowed significantly since late June, when public health units were detecting up to nine cases per day.
The delay coincides with the start of a “circular strategy” to administer the smallpox vaccine to people most at risk of infection in the province.
Nine people have required hospital admission for monkeypox in the province in the past two months, and one person has required intensive care.
While anyone can get and spread monkeypox, the recent outbreak in Europe and North America has spread significantly among gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men.
All cases confirmed in Ontario are in adults between the ages of 20 and 69.
Monkeypox is usually spread through prolonged close contact between people who breathe, talk, cough or sneeze.
It can also be spread through skin-to-skin contact with rashes or body fluids, and it can also remain on items such as clothing or sheets that have come into contact with an infected person.
Symptoms can appear anywhere between five to 21 days after exposure.
Federal guidelines indicate that the smallpox vaccine is most effective if given within four days of exposure to a case, but may help if given up to 14 days after exposure.
The City of Toronto continues to offer the Imvamune smallpox vaccine to people deemed to be at high risk of exposure.
There is also a therapeutic agent known as TPoxx that has been shown to be helpful in cases where patients have suffered severe complications from infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) now says it is aware of 6,027 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox in 59 countries around the world, including three deaths.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it is aware of 477 cases across Canada, with most in Ontario and Quebec.
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