THE Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed the first case of a more serious type of illness in the country mpox in a person in Manitoba, although the risk to the general population remains low.
The agency says the travel-related case is associated with an ongoing outbreak of what is called mpox clade 1 in central and eastern Africa.
It says the person sought medical attention for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after returning and is self-isolating with contact tracing underway.
The agency says that although clade 2 mpox has been circulating in Canada since 2022, this is the first confirmed case of clade 1 in the country.
Research suggests that clade 1 is generally more transmissible and causes more severe disease than clade 2.
Mpox is a contagious viral infection that causes a painful rash that may be accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, and back, joint, and muscle pain.
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“The data suggests that (the symptoms of the Winnipeg case) will resolve on their own and we will just have to monitor those close contacts,” said Jason Kindrachuk, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor at the University of Manitoba.
The incident occurred a few days later US health authorities have confirmed the first case of mpox clade 1 in the countrywhich was found in a person who recently returned to California after a trip to East Africa.
“The sad reality is we knew we were going to see cases here (in Canada),” Kindrachuk said. “Winnipeg is the first and probably not the last, unfortunately.”
Although clade 1 is more transmissible, researchers say mpox is generally difficult to transmit without close contact.
Vaccines are available in Canada for people at high risk.
—With additional files from Global News
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