1st suspected monkeypox case investigated in Toronto, possible exposure warnings
Posted May 21, 2022 6:08 pm.
Last Updated May 21, 2022 9:19 pm.
Toronto Public Health announced it is investigating the city’s first suspected case of monkeypox and is warning those who attended two locations on two separate days around a week ago they may have been exposed to the disease.
In a release on Saturday, TPH says the suspected case is in a man in his 40s who had recent contact with an individual who travelled to Montreal, and that he is stable in hospital.
The City says risk to the public is “very low,” however, it is warning people who attended an event at the Axis Club, at 722 College Street, on May 14, and Woody’s Bar, at 467 Church Street, on May 13 and May 14, that they may have been exposed to monkeypox.
“Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus that is normally found endemic in central and western Africa,” the City said in a release, “It was first identified in monkeys, but its origins remain unknown.”
It says symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash, often beginning on the face and then spreads to other areas of the body. Most people recover on their own without treatment, it said.
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TPH says the disease does not spread easily between people, and when it does, it’s usually through contact with body fluids.
It said contact includes fluids from the monkeypox sores, contaminated clothing or bedding, or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact, and through bites or scratches from infected animals.
The health agency adds common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus.
As of Friday, May 20, the Public Health Agency of Canada is investigating around two dozen possible cases of monkeypox on top of two confirmed cases in Quebec.
MEDIA RELEASE: Toronto Public Health investigates first suspected case of monkeypox https://t.co/gSs9crl46T
— Toronto Public Health (@TOPublicHealth) May 21, 2022
Canada’s top doctor, Dr. Theresa Tam, said on Friday the federal public health agency does not know how widespread the disease has become across the country.
The City says close contacts of individuals who are suspected or confirmed to have monkeypox are being advised to self-monitor for 21 days after their last exposure, and if they develop symptoms, are told to self-isolate, seek care, and to get tested.
With files from The Canadian Press.
