There are now more than 400 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ontario, the vast majority detected in Toronto.
The latest update from Public Health Ontario suggests the number of confirmed Monkeypox infections has increased by 15% since July 28 and now stands at 423.
The agency says nearly 78 percent of the cases were reported by Toronto Public Health.
Elsewhere in the GTA, Hamilton has nine confirmed cases, Halton has seven, Durham has six, Peel has five and York has three.
Public Health Ontario says all but two of the confirmed cases so far involve men, unchanged from last week. The average age of people with a confirmed infection is about 36 years.
“Although cases have mostly been identified among men who report sexual or intimate contact with other men (MSM), anyone can suffer from monkey pox,” warns the agency in its report. “Several factors that may increase the potential risk of exposure include close, sexual, and/or intimate contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, pain, or scabs.”
The latest data comes after the governor of California declared a state of emergency to speed up efforts to combat the spread of monkey pox after the detection of nearly 800 cases in that state.
The World Health Organization also declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern on 23 July.
Public Health Ontario said in its report that 11 people have been hospitalized after testing positive for monkeypox in Ontario so far, unchanged from last week.
So far no deaths have been attributed to the virus in Ontario.
The most common symptoms include rash (71%), oral/genital lesions (54%), fever (45%), fatigue (43%), and swollen lymph nodes (40%), according to Publications. Health Ontario.
Monkeypox is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, and existing vaccines against this disease are believed to be very effective against it.