Published on Thursday, 2 June 2022 15:17 EDT Last Updated on Thursday, 2 June 2022 15:17 EDT
Toronto Public Health says it has confirmed three new cases of monkeypox in the city, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the city to five.
Officials said Thursday that there are still five additional suspects.
Elsewhere in Canada, health officials in Quebec say they are already aware of 52 confirmed cases of the virus.
Monkeypox is a rare disease that was first identified in monkeys and is found mostly in Central and West Africa. Monkeypox is associated with smallpox, but has milder symptoms.
The virus has attracted worldwide attention in recent weeks as cases increase, especially in Europe, the United States, Israel and Australia.
The virus is usually spread by close human-to-human contact through respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids, or indirect contact through contaminated clothing or underwear.
On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the most recent cases in the world are of gays, bisexuals or men who have sex with men.
It can also be transmitted by contact with infected animals through bites and scratches and by preparing wild game meat.
Symptoms include fever, rash or lesions on the face and body, headache and body aches.
Monkeypox is considered infectious five days before the onset of the rash and remains contagious until the lesions begin to heal and the scabs fall off.
Most people recover within two to four weeks and the infection is rarely fatal.
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