Hamilton Records First Case of Rare Monkeypox Virus: Public Health – Hamilton | Globalnews.ca

Hamilton Public Health (HPH) has its first reported case of the monkeypox virus, according to the city’s medical officer of health.

Authorities say the infected person is currently isolating at home and all contacts have been notified by the health unit.

The resident is believed to have likely been infected during a recent visit to Toronto.

“At this time, the risk to the general public remains very low as we have not detected the virus circulating in Hamilton and the virus does not spread easily,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, a medical officer of health, in a statement on Monday.

“Hamiltonians shouldn’t have to worry about their routine daily activities.”

As of the end of last week, more than 5,000 cases of monkeypox were reported in 51 countries around the world that normally don’t report the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of infections in Europe represents around 90 percent of the global total, with 31 countries in the WHO European region having identified cases.

Monkeypox, a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has been spreading largely in men who have sex with men outside of countries where it is common.

As of Wednesday, 276 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

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Four cases have been identified in British Columbia, five in Alberta, 67 in Ontario and 202 in Quebec.

Europe’s head of the World Health Organization warned on Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the rare disease does not take hold in the continent.

African health authorities said they are treating the spreading monkeypox outbreak as an emergency and called on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The head of the WHO in Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, said in a statement that further efforts were needed despite the UN health agency’s decision last week that the escalating outbreak did not yet warrant being declared. a global health emergency.

“Urgent and coordinated action is imperative if we are to turn the race around to reverse the continued spread of this disease,” Kluge said.

Hamilton Public Health Services hosted a pop-up monkeypox vaccination clinic Thursday for at-risk community members by appointment only.

More than 60 doses of monkeypox vaccine were administered to at-risk community members over the age of 18.

The city has not confirmed whether future clinics will be facilitated.

— with files from The Associated Press