Quebec confirms new cases of monkeypox

Ten more cases of monkeypox were confirmed in Quebec Tuesday, bringing Canada’s total case count to 15.

It was only the week prior that the province reported its first case.

Federal Health Minister JeanYves Duclos said in a statement Tuesday that Canada can expect more cases to be confirmed in the coming days. “The Government of Canada is prepared to respond to emerging public health events and take precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases.”

Monkeypox is a rare disease that comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox and was declared eradicated by the World Health Organization in 1980. The virus is reportedly spread by prolonged close contact. Symptoms are said to include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and lesions.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said it was investigating around two dozen monkeypox cases in addition to the cases that were already confirmed in Quebec.

Toronto Public Health said it was also investigating Ontario’s first possible case over the weekend.

While the global understanding of monkeypox is still evolving, Duclos assured the situation is different than what Canada saw with the emergence of COVID-19. “We do have a supply of vaccines, which we will be sure to maintain, and we are working hand-in-hand with our provincial and territorial counterparts to rollout our response plan as quickly as possible.”