The First Case Of Monkeypox Has Been Confirmed In BC & Here's What We Know So Far

BC Centre for Disease Control has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the province, and it is in Vancouver.

A statement from BCCDC said that Vancouver Coastal Health is "conducting a public health follow-up," and they are still awaiting further confirmation at the National Microbiology Laboratory.

The statement added that since May, over 700 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in "non-endemic countries," mostly in European nations. Cases have also been confirmed in Canada, but the risk to the general public is "very low," it said.

Monkeypox was mostly found in Central and West African countries, until this year, the BCCDC website said.

The first cases that were reported in Canada were in Montreal, on May 19. There are now cases in multiple Canadian cities, including Toronto.

"Among these cases, a high proportion are in people who self-identify as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM)," the website added.

It specified though that anyone can be infected or exposed to monkeypox, and that "stigmatizing any group will hinder appropriate infection prevention and control efforts and will be detrimental to the identification and management of additional cases."

The recent cases that have been confirmed in Canada have been described as mild, and since May there have not been any deaths in the country due to monkeypox.

The symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, pus-filled rashes, body aches and swollen lymph nodes.

BCCDC directed people who have been exposed to monkeypox to monitor for symptoms, which can present from 5 to 21 days after exposure.

If you do develop symptoms, they said to see a health care professional and inform them of the reason for your visit ahead of time.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.