Eight monkeypox cases confirmed in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills
Published July 25, 2022 at 10:45 am
Data released by Public Health Ontario on Monday (July 25) shows there are currently eight cases of monkeypox being treated in Burlington, Oakville and the rest of Halton Region.
A total of 288 cases have been confirmed across the province with another nine probable. An overwhelming majority of those cases have been in Toronto where 220 confirmed cases have been reported by Toronto Public Health.
Nine of those people suffering from the viral disease in Ontario have been hospitalized with two people landing in the Intensive Care Unit.
There have been no fatal cases of monkeypox in Ontario.
The data released by Public Health Ontario does not reveal the age or gender of those specifically infected, but a snapshot of cases from across Ontario show that 99 per cent of those with monkeypox are men.
The average age of a person infected across the province is 36.8 years and most commonly reported symptoms include rash, oral/genital lesions, swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, chills, myalgia and fatigue.
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The news comes as the World Health Organization announced Saturday (July 23) that monkeypox is now present in 70 countries and is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency.
Such a declaration is considered a high alert and meant for nations and health bodies to treat the situation seriously.
The most common risk factors reported include engaging in sexual or intimate contact, such as hugging, kissing and cuddling with one or more people.
Less commonly reported risks were travel, being immunocompromised or having close contact with someone from outside the province.
While most monkeypox cases involve males, anyone can get the disease.
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