1st case of monkeypox in Middlesex-London has been identified

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) on Mondayreported the first case of monkeypox in the the southwestern Ontario region.

Health officials saidstaff determined the person who was diagnosed with the virus has no close contacts who require post-exposure treatment or additional followup.

"The person is doing well," said Dr. Alex Summers, medical officer of health for the MLHU. "Whilewe are reporting this first local case of monkeypox, the risk to the community remains very low."

The health unit has not released the age of the patient or the city where they live.

The first cases of monkeypox in Canada were reported on May 19 after some were identified in the United States and Europe, with 112 in total as of June 10, when the cases declared included 98in Quebec, nine in Ontario, four in Alberta and one in British Columbia.

The infectious viral disease can be contracted by direct contact with the bodily fluids or lesions of infected people or animals. It can also spread through contaminated clothing or bedding and through respiratory droplets following prolonged exposure to an infected person, according to the MLHU.

Symptoms of monkeypoxcan include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodesand lethargy, followed by a rash, which can appear on the face and other other parts of the body a few days after initial symptoms begin.

The MLHUsaidthere'sno specific treatment for monkeypox, although antiviralsfor smallpox may help.