Canada’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, confirmed a total of 168 cases of monkeypox in the country as of Friday.
Speaking at a health briefing, the chief doctor said these confirmed cases had been reported nationally, including two cases from British Columbia, four from Alberta, 21 from Ontario and 141 from Quebec, Xinhua reported.
“We continue to monitor and respond to the evolving situation with monkeypox, including supporting provinces and territories in their efforts to launch targeted vaccination campaigns,” Tam said, adding that they are working to raise awareness of how the virus is transmitted.
According to her, among the cases for which information is available and reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada, all cases are men and are aged between 20 and 69 years.
However, the risk of exposure to monkeypox virus is not exclusive to any group or environment. Anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can become infected and spread the virus if they come into close contact with someone who has monkeypox or items they have used, such as personal items, towels or bedding, she said.
Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that can cause infections in humans and the disease is commonly found in forested parts of Central and West Africa. It is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, according to the World Health Organization.
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(Only the title and photo of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated by a syndicated channel.)
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