According to health officials, the first case of smallpox confirmed in the Ottawa laboratory has been detected in a local resident.
The person has recovered from the infectious disease, the city said in a press release on Friday afternoon.
The Ottawa Public Health Service (OPH) has followed up with close contacts of the person and says the risk to the public remains low.
Symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, exhaustion, and a rash (or smallpox injury) that often appears on the face and limbs a few days after the onset of symptoms. It can also spread to other parts of the body.
The rare disease comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated in 1980.
It is not highly contagious, usually transmitted by prolonged close contact.
The lesions it creates usually go through stages: from flat to slightly elevated, and then fill with clear, later yellowish fluid. It can then be peeled, dried and dropped, according to the press release.
Transmission occurs through contact with exposed skin, the respiratory tract, or mucous membranes, such as the eyes, mouth, or nose. While most people recover from the disease on their own, OPH encourages residents to report symptoms to health care providers. He has also provided relevant information to doctors.
Smallpox can spread through the body fluids from injuries, dry crusts, contaminated clothing and bedding, as well as through respiratory drops after prolonged face-to-face contact.
Infectious disease is caused by a virus found in some animal species in Central and West Africa, which has occasionally infected humans there, although cases have recently developed in countries around the world.
On Thursday, Toronto had nine confirmed cases of smallpox in the monkey, with 23 more cases under investigation.
Across Canada, more than 100 cases have been confirmed, most of them 98 cases in Quebec.
In Ottawa and in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, OPH has administered the smallpox vaccine IMVAMUNE to high-risk contacts in a confirmed case.