Canadian health officials are urging caution after the discovery of monkeypox cases in the country and other parts of the world.
As of Friday, five cases have been confirmed and roughly two dozen others are under investigation, mainly in Quebec, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Read more: Monkeypox spread ‘unusual’ but risk to Canadians is ‘low,’ officials say While the risk of infection in the general population is low, it is not yet clear how widespread the disease has become in Canada, Dr.
Theresa Tam, chief public health officer, said Friday. “We might expect to hear more confirmations in the upcoming hours and days,” she told reporters during a virtual news conference.
Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic infectious disease that can be transmitted from close contact with an infected individual through bodily fluids, sores or lesions on skin and/or respiratory droplets.