Quebec health authorities say 52 monkeypox cases confirmed in province

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Quebec’s Health Department says 52 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the province.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner-CDC via AP

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Health Department says 52 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the province.

Health officials said in a tweet late Wednesday the number of confirmed cases is as of Tuesday, up from 25 cases reported one week earlier.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated around the globe in 1980.

Monkeypox generally does not spread easily between people and is transmitted through prolonged close contact via respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids, or through contaminated clothes or bedding.

Health authorities say people who are suspected of having the virus, as well as those who live under the same roof, should isolate.

They should also wear a mask, cover their lesions and avoid sharing clothing, bedding or utensils with others.

The province began administering doses of the smallpox vaccine Imvamune last week, reserved for close contacts at high risk of developing the disease.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2022.

The Canadian Press