Canada has confirmed 58 cases of monkeypox, Theresa Tam, chief administrator of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), announced Friday.
She indicated during a press briefing that 52 of these cases had been recorded in Quebec, five in Ontario and one in Alberta.
The risk of exposure to monkeypox “is not restricted to one group”, Ms Tham noted, warning that anyone can become infected and transmit this virus if they are in close contact with an infected person or contaminated objects.
To date, at least 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been recorded in 30 non-endemic countries, she added.
Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that can cause infections in humans and the disease often occurs in forest areas of central and western Africa. It is caused by a virus that belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).