The rate of spread of monkeypox seems to be declining in Ontario, as the province revealed its first case in a patient this week.
Public Health Ontario says there are now 156 cases in Ontario, up from 133 on July 11 and 101 on July 6, with 124 of the total cases in Toronto.
The first female case was confirmed by diagnostic tests over the past three days.
No other information about the patient was provided.
There are eight other probable cases in the province that are still under investigation.
Of those 156 cases, Public Health Ontario says 124 are in Toronto.
Ottawa reported 11 cases, Middlesex-London reported four and the Halton region reported three cases.
The number of cases confirmed per day appears to have slowed sharply since late June, when public health units found up to nine cases per day.
The slowdown coincides with the start of a “ring strategy” for administering the smallpox vaccine to people most at risk of infection in the province.
Nine people have been required to be hospitalized for monkeypox in the province in the past two months, and one person has required treatment in an ICU.
While anyone can spread and spread monkeypox, the recent outbreak in Europe and North America has seen a significant spread among gays, bisexuals and men who have sex with men.
All confirmed cases in Ontario were in adults between the ages of 20 and 69.
Smallpox is usually spread through close, sustained contact between people who breathe, talk, cough, or sneeze.
It can also be spread by skin-to-skin contact with rashes or body fluids and can also remain on items such as clothing or sheets that have come in contact with an infected person.
Symptoms may occur five to 21 days after exposure.
Federal guidelines state that the smallpox vaccine is most effective if given within four days of exposure to a case, but can help if given up to 14 days after exposure.
The City of Toronto continues to offer the Imvamune smallpox vaccine to people considered at high risk of exposure.
There is also a therapy known as TPoxx that has been shown to be helpful in cases where patients suffered serious complications from infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) now says it is aware of 6,027 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox in 59 countries around the world, including three deaths.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it is aware of 477 cases across Canada, most in Ontario and Quebec.