‘Strong possibility’ monkeypox found in Montreal

MONTREAL Public health authorities investigating 17 suspected cases of monkeypox in the greater Montreal area urged calm Thursday, saying the rare disease isn’t likely to spread through the community.

The cases are not expected to be confirmed by a laboratory before the weekend, but Montreal’s public health director said that based on recent outbreaks in Europe and a case reported in the United States, there is a “strong possibility” the infections in the city involve the virus linked to monkeypox.

“We do not have to panic. At the time that we are speaking, it is not something that is going to go to community transmission that is going to be sustained,” Dr. Mylène Drouin told a news conference.

Fifteen of the cases involve people living in Montreal, with the other two in suburbs to the north and south.

Drouin said the first suspected cases in Montreal were reported on May 12 from clinics specializing in sexually transmitted diseases, although symptoms had begun appearing around April 29. She said the cases are seen mostly in men between the ages of 30 and 55 years old who have had sexual relations with other men.

Most cases identified in the city are not severe, and symptoms involve a period of fever and sweating followed by the appearance of a painful rash in the genital area, Drouin said. All of the suspected cases are isolating and they have been instructed to cover their lesions until they heal.

“There is no specific treatment currently available,” Drouin said. “It is painful, but mainly the forms we have right now are not severe forms of the illness.”