Toronto 
Toronto Public Health has officially confirmed the city’s first reported case of monkeypox, a rare disease caused by a virus that is normally found endemic in central and western Africa.
As per the news release, the person is recovering in hospital.
Currently, four individuals with probable or suspected cases of monkeypox in Toronto are recovering at home and are awaiting laboratory tests to confirm if they have this virus.
A probable case of monkeypox is defined as a person with signs and symptoms of the virus including a rash and contact with a confirmed or probable case, travel to a region where a confirmed case has been detected or exposure to an infected animal. Individuals lacking an epidemiological link but with the required signs and symptoms including the rash are classified as suspected cases.
Toronto Public Health says though monkeypox does not generally spread easily between people, residents should be aware of the virus’ symptoms as it has now been detected in Toronto.
Symptoms of the disease first identified in monkeys include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and a rash that often appears within a few days after symptoms begin and starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body.
According to the news release, Monkeypox spreads through:
- contact with body fluids such as fluids from the monkeypox sores
- contaminated clothing or bedding
- through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact with an infected individual
- through bites or scratches from infected animals
Monkeypox can be transmitted even before the onset of symptoms.
Common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus and most people recover on their own without treatment.
Toronto Public Health is asking residents who have these signs and symptoms to report them to their health care provider as soon as possible.
If you are a close contact of an individual suspected or confirmed to have a monkeypox infection, you will have to self-monitor for symptoms for 21 days after their last exposure.
If symptoms develop, they should self-isolate, seek care and get tested. As with many other diseases spread through close contact, people can lower their risk by maintaining physical distance, frequent hand washing and respiratory hygiene including masking.
To date, Quebec has reported 25 lab-confirmed cases and suspect cases.
As per the news release, the current cluster of cases has been linked to sexual networks among men.
