The Public Health Agency of Canada has revealed that 10 additional cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Canada, bringing the total to 15.
Canada’s Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos shared the news in a statement, saying that the 10 new cases were confirmed in the province of Quebec.
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Within the last week, Canada confirmed the first cases of monkeypox in Quebec and as of Friday the total count was at five cases.
“I know Canadians are concerned. I want to underscore that the health and safety of all Canadians remain our top priority. The Government of Canada is prepared to respond to emerging public health events and takes precautions to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases,” said Duclos.
He added that there are a variety of actions the Canadian government is taking in response to the threat of monkeypox.
While he stated that the surveillance and testing system is working, further work is being done to refine both systems.
“In the coming days, Canada will release updated guidance for infection prevention and control in our healthcare system. In the coming weeks, NACI guidance will further inform this guidance. We are also working on case and contact management protocols, including isolation advice.”
For anyone with fears that this feels like COVID-19 all over again, Duclos addressed that.
“I want to re-iterate to Canadians that this is a different situation than we saw ourselves in with the emergence of COVID-19. While global understanding of the monkeypox virus is still evolving, we do have a supply of vaccines, which we will be sure to maintain, and we are working hand-in-hand with our provincial and territorial counterparts to rollout our response plan as quickly as possible.”
If you want to follow the latest updates about monkeypox from Health Canada, click here.