The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) has confirmed a case of monkeypox in its medical region.
Health officials did not say where the individual lives in the region, but they did say they work primarily in Toronto “where they probably acquired the infection.”
The individual is currently isolated and all nearby contacts have been notified, according to officials.
“Right now, the risk to the general population remains low, as we have not detected the virus circulating in Simcoe Muskoka and it does not spread easily,” said Deputy Health Physician Dr. Colin Lee. “Residents should not have to worry about doing their daily routine activities. The health unit continues to follow the situation closely.”
SMDHU officials say the symptoms of the virus usually develop five to 21 days after exposure and last two to four weeks. They occur in two stages and can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle, joint and back pain and exhaustion. A rash that lasts between 14 and 21 days can also develop on the face or limbs, as well as on the hands, feet, mouth, and genitals which then form scabs.
Officials add that anyone diagnosed with smallpox should be isolated until all the scabs have fallen off and healed, which usually happens in two to four weeks. They add that it is usually a “mild illness” and that people can usually recover on their own.
“We advise anyone who develops symptoms or who has had contact with a suspected or known case of monkeypox to contact their healthcare provider immediately,” Lee says. “Monkeypox can affect anyone of any age, gender or sexual orientation. Currently, monkeypox is predominantly affecting men who have sex with men, and the most likely way it is transmitted is through close contact and intimate due to increased skin-to-skin contact “.
Health officials say the disease is rare in North America. It is transmitted by close contact with a person infected with the virus or their clothing or clothing. It enters the body, according to officials, by skin-to-skin contact with body fluids and by mucous membranes or respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact.