The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Canada is a part of the

outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the

monkeypox virus ''Monkeypox virus'' (MPV, MPXV, or hMPXV) is a species of double-stranded DNA virus that causes monkeypox in humans and other mammals. Monkeypox virus is a zoonotic virus belonging to the '' orthopoxvirus'' genus, making it closely related to th ...

. The outbreak started in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

on May 19, 2022, with the country since then becoming one of the most affected in the Americas.

Background

An ongoing

mpox Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild ...

was confirmed on May 6, 2022, beginning with a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

resident who, after travelling to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

(where the disease is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

), presented symptoms consistent with mpox on April 29, 2022. The resident returned to the United Kingdom on May 4, creating the country's

index case The index case or patient zero is the first documented patient in a disease epidemic within a population, or the first documented patient included in an epidemiological study. It can also refer to the first case of a condition or syndrome (not n ...

of the outbreak. The origin of several of the cases of mpox in the United Kingdom is unknown. Some monitors saw

community transmission In medicine, public health, and biology, transmission is the passing of a pathogen causing communicable disease from an infected host individual or group to a particular individual or group, regardless of whether the other individual was previous ...

taking place in the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

area as of mid-May, but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in Europe in the previous months.

Transmission

A large portion of those infected were believed to have not recently traveled to areas of Africa where mpox is normally found, such as

, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

as well as

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

western Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauri ...

. It is believed to be transmitted by close contact with sick people, with extra caution for those individuals with

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classif ...

s on their skin or genitals, along with their bedding and clothing. The CDC has also stated that individuals should avoid contact and consumption of dead animals such as rats, squirrels, monkeys and apes along with wild game or lotions derived from animals in Africa. Symptoms such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes or lesions are fairly common. Additionally some patients also have presented with

proctitis Proctitis is an inflammation of the anus and the lining of the rectum, affecting only the last 6 inches of the rectum. Signs and symptoms A common symptom is a continual urge to have a bowel movement—the rectum could feel full or have const ...

. The Public Health Agency of Canada has noted that person to person transmission of mpox is possible from direct contact with bodily fluids including sexual contact.

History

On May 18, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

confirmed its first 2022 case of mpox and

reported 13 suspected cases. On May 19, the first confirmed case of mpox was reported in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. On May 27, 500 people in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, received smallpox vaccinations. By July 6, 800 Montrealers had lined up at the clinic in the center of the

Gay Village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-orien ...

that was offering the initial vaccination.

Number of cases confirmed in the Canadian provinces

currently has the 8th most mpox cases.

Responses

This was the first time in history that

was in

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2022-2023 mpox outbreak in Canada

Mpox Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild ...

2023 disasters in Canada