There are now more than 400 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ontario, with the vast majority of them detected in Toronto.
The latest update from Public Health Ontario suggests that the number of confirmed Monkeypox infections has risen 15 per cent from July 28 and now stands at 423.
The agency says that nearly 78 per cent of the cases were reported by Toronto Public Health.
Elsewhere in the GTA, Hamilton has nine confirmed cases, Halton has seven, Durham has six, Peel has five and York has three.
Public Health Ontario says that so far all but two of the confirmed cases involve males, unchanged from last week. The average age of those with a confirmed infection is about 36 years old.
“Although cases have mostly been identified among males who report sexual or intimate contact with other males (MSM), anyone can get monkeypox,” the agency warns in its report. “Various factors that may increase the potential risk for exposure include close, sexual, and/or other intimate contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, sore, or scabs.”
The latest data comes after California’s governor declared a state of emergency to speed up efforts to combat the spread of monkeypox following the detection of nearly 800 cases in that state.
The World Health Organization also declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern back on July 23.
Public Health Ontario said in its report that 11 people have been hospitalized after testing positive for monkeypox in Ontario to date, unchanged from last week.
So far no deaths have been attributed to the virus in Ontario.
The most commonly reported symptoms include a rash (71 per cent), oral/genital lesions (54 per cent), fever (45 per cent), fatigue (43 per cent) and swollen lymph nodes (40 per cent), according to Public Health Ontario.
Monkeypox is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox and it is believed that existing vaccines for that disease are highly effective against it.
