Canada’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, confirmed a total of 112 cases of monkeypox in the country.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Tam told a health briefing that these confirmed cases had been reported across the country, with one in British Columbia, four in Alberta, nine in Ontario and 98 in Quebec.
“Confirmatory testing is also performed by the National Microbiological Laboratory for a number of other suspicious cases. As a result, we are preparing for further confirmed cases in the coming days and weeks, “she said.
The official said that the age of the known cases ranged from 20 to 63 years and that all cases so far were male and that the virus could be “spread to anyone” through close contact with an infected person.
The National Immunization Advisory Committee, or NACI, announced on Friday updated guidelines for the use of Imvamune, a Health Canada-approved monkey immunization vaccine, it said.
Persons at high risk of a probable or confirmed case of monkeypox or in an environment where transmission occurs must receive a single dose of Imvamune within four days of exposure, according to the NACI.
Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that can infect humans. It is most common in forested areas of Central and West Africa.
According to the World Health Organization, it is caused by the monkeypox virus, which is a member of the orthopoxvirus family. (with data from IANS)
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