For immediate release on July 20, 2022 | 16:00 | Windsor and Essex County
Through laboratory-confirmed testing, a resident of Windsor-Essex County (WEC) has been diagnosed with monkeypox. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is notifying the community of the first confirmed case of monkeypox to inform residents, but due to client privacy and confidentiality, further details will not be shared publicly.
According to Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Shankar Nesathurai, “Currently, the risk of transmission of monkeypox in the community remains low. Although cases have mostly been identified among men who report sexual or intimate contact with other men, anyone can contract monkeypox. The most commonly reported risk factors include sexual or intimate contact with a new and/or multiple partner.
Monkeypox has been confirmed in other parts of Ontario since the spring of this year. The disease is a viral illness that comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. Monkeypox is usually transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, rashes, and scabs of infected people or animals. Symptoms include high fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion, followed by the development of a rash. The time from infection to symptoms is usually 7 to 14 days. Although monkeypox can infect people of all ages, some people are at higher risk of severe disease, including children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
If you have any concerns about exposure, please contact your healthcare provider. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) is working with local health care providers to monitor and identify any other potential cases in our community.
For more information about Monkeypox, please visit or
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