Public Health Ontario reports two new confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ottawa.
Twenty-three cases of the virus have been confirmed in the capital to date, the second-highest number of cases in any public health unit in the province after Toronto. The first case in Ottawa was reported on June 10.
As of July 25, Ontario had 326 confirmed cases of monkeypox, up from 288 last Thursday. Of these, 250 are in Toronto. There are two confirmed cases in health units outside of Ottawa, one in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and one each in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark.
All but two of the confirmed cases in Ontario have involved men.
The rate of hospitalizations for monkeypox remains low, with 11 people hospitalized for the virus so far. Ottawa Public Health doesn’t comment on local hospitalizations, so it’s unclear whether anyone who contracted monkeypox in the capital was hospitalized because of it.
OPH says 1,396 monkeypox vaccines had been administered locally as of Monday. More details about who is eligible for vaccination and where it can be found on the OPH website.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by a virus found in certain species of wild animals in Central and West Africa. In the past few weeks, it has spread around the world, affecting more than 16,000 people in more than 70 countries. The World Health Organization has called the spread of the virus a global emergency.
Symptoms of monkeypox include high fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, exhaustion, and a rash that often appears on the face and limbs a few days after symptoms begin. The virus can be transmitted to another person through contact with exposed skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, or mouth.
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