The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed the country’s first case of a more severe type of mpox in a person in Manitoba, though it says the risk to the general population remains low.
The agency says the travel-related case is associated with an ongoing outbreak of what’s known as clade 1 mpox in central and eastern Africa.
It says the person sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after their return and is isolating, with contact tracing being conducted.
The agency says that while clade 2 mpox has been circulating in Canada since 2022, this is the first confirmed case of clade 1 in the country.
Research suggests clade 1 is generally more transmissible and causes more severe disease than clade 2.
Mpox is a viral infection that is contagious and causes a painful rash that can be accompanied by other symptoms like fever, chills, headache, and back, joint and muscle pain.