TORONTO — The Toronto Public Health Unit says it is investigating the first suspected case of monkeypox in Ontario.
Health officials say the case is a man in his 40s who had contact with someone who had recently traveled to Montreal.
The man is recovering in hospital and his condition is stable.
The risk posed by monkeypox is low, and so far all five laboratory-confirmed cases in Canada are in Montreal. Health officials said Saturday there were 15 cases under investigation.
Monkeypox is a rare disease that comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox, which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.
In general, monkeypox does not spread easily between people and is transmitted through close and prolonged contact, including direct contact with respiratory droplets, bodily fluids, or the wounds of an infected person.
Monkeypox is generally milder than smallpox and can cause fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and lesions all over the body.
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