Canada confirms 58 cases of monkeypox, France up to 51

OTTAWA - Canada has confirmed 58 cases of monkeypox, the country's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at a health briefing, Tam said the confirmed cases have been reported nationally, including 52 cases from Quebec, five from Ontario and one from Alberta, reported Xinhua.

She said the risk of exposure to monkeypox "isn't exclusive to any group or setting", warning that anyone could get infected and spread the virus if they come into close contact with an infected person or their contaminated objects.

At present, at least 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported from 30 non-endemic countries worldwide, Tam said.

Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that may cause infections in humans and the disease usually occurs in forested parts of Central and West Africa. It is caused by the monkeypox virus which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, according to the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, in PARIS the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in France has surpassed 50, more than 20 of the people travelled abroad before the onset of their symptoms, the French public health agency, Sante Publique, reported, said Sputnik "As of June 3, 2022 at 2 pm (12:00 GMT), 51 confirmed cases of Monkeypox have been reported in France," Sante Publique said in its latest update, adding that all of the cases subject to investigation were men aged between 22 and 63 years.

No monkeypox-related deaths have been reported. - BERNAMA