The update comes as the number of confirmed smallpox cases in Canada reached 681 on July 23. Globalnews.ca will be live streaming the update, which is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM EDT.
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The majority of the country’s cases were found in Quebec and Ontario, which recorded 331 and 288, respectively, as of July 23. British Columbia has 48 confirmed cases, Alberta has 12 and Saskatchewan has two. Since July 1, Canada has doubled its cases of monkeypox, including the first in Saskatchewan and the first in a woman in Ontario, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials said on July 23. Infections are expected to continue to rise as the epidemic progresses, they added. Story continues below ad More than 18,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 78 countries since its unusual appearance in the West this spring, WHO officials said Wednesday. More than 70 percent of the cases have been identified in Europe and 25 percent have been identified in the Americas. He declared the outbreak a global health emergency on July 23. 1:56 Hundreds of monkeypox cases reported in Canada Hundreds of monkeypox cases reported in Canada So far, five deaths have been linked to the outbreak and 10 percent of cases required hospitalization. About 98 percent of the cases were among men who have sex with men, WHO officials said, cautioning that the virus can spread to anyone as it is not limited to one group. Monkeypox, which causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, is transmitted to humans from animals caused by an orthopoxvirus, which is related to smallpox, according to PHAC. Trending Stories
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Story continues below ad People can become infected through direct contact with an infected person or from shared contaminated objects, including bedding or towels. The disease occurs mainly in west and central Africa and only occasionally spreads elsewhere. This undated image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a color transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found in an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Md. NIAID via AP Last month, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended that Canadians at high risk of contracting monkeypox — not just those who are infected — get vaccinated. Anyone at high risk of exposure to a possible or confirmed case of monkeypox, or who has visited an environment where transmission of the virus is occurring, should receive one dose of the Imvammune vaccine, NACI said. NACI also said vaccines can be offered to people who are immunocompromised, pregnant or breastfeeding, or to children and youth if they are at higher risk of exposure. Story continues below ad
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Imvamune, commonly used to treat smallpox, is approved by Health Canada to treat monkeypox. To date, Ottawa has shipped more than 70,000 doses of vaccines to provinces and territories. Right now, mass vaccination is not recommended, WHO officials said Wednesday. Canadian health officials have said the overall risk to the general public remains low. While vaccination is expected to provide protection, a successful response to the monkeypox outbreak relies on several public health measures, including targeted public health education and equipping people with the information they need to make informed choices, PHAC said. on July 23. 2:22 Toronto sees increased demand for monkeypox vaccine Toronto sees increased demand for monkeypox vaccine To reduce the risk of contracting or spreading monkeypox, PHAC advises Canadians to stay home and limit contact with others if they have symptoms, including fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches. Story continues below ad Canadians can also stay protected by avoiding close physical contact, including sexual contact, with someone who is infected or may have been exposed to monkeypox, practicing good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects with high touch. home, especially after visitors. “PHAC continues to work closely with international, provincial and territorial health partners to gather information about this evolving outbreak and to assess the potential risk of monkeypox exposure in Canada,” PHAC officials said in the statement. of July 23. “Canada will continue to work with WHO and international partners to strengthen the global response to the current monkeypox outbreak.” © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
