Image Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
May 21, 2022 - 1:05 PM
The growing concern about the international spread of monkeypox has reached B.C., but not the disease itself, yet.
“Earlier this morning, it was reported that health officials were investigating two reported cases of monkeypox in B.C.,” the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said in a May 19 news release.
“Public health interviewed two individuals but, upon investigation, it was determined that they were not considered contacts of cases as they had not been exposed,” it says. “No suspect cases or contacts of monkeypox are under investigation in B.C. at this time.”
There have been cases in the United Kingdom, Europe and the U.S.
“Among these cases, a high proportion occurred in gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men,” the Centre for Disease Control’s website says. “Monkeypox is not sexually transmitted but can be transmitted through direct contact.”
READ MORE: Monkeypox poses low risk to Canada, public health agency investigating about 20 cases
It’s described as an illness that lasts for one to five days, followed by things like fever, intense headaches, back pain and fatigue.
A skin rash starts a day to five days after the fever and can last two to four weeks.
Cases in the U.K. were from West Africa and have a death rate of about one per cent, the site says.
More information can be found here.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022