Canada’s public health agency confirmed the first case of clade I Mpox in the country on Friday, according to Reuters. The case was found in a person in Manitoba who had recently traveled to central and eastern Africa, where there is an ongoing outbreak of the virus.
The individual sought medical care for symptoms after returning to Canada and is now isolating, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The National Microbiology Laboratory confirmed yesterday that the sample tested positive for clade I Mpox.
While clade II Mpox has been circulating in Canada since 2022, this is the first confirmed case of clade I Mpox.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared Mpox a continuing public health emergency, noting that a new variant, clade Ib, has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to other countries.
Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While usually mild, it can sometimes be fatal. The PHAC said the risk to the general population in Canada is low, but it is continuing to monitor the situation closely and conduct an investigation, including contact tracing.