Canada confirms its first case of clade I mpox

Reuters - Canada's public health agency on Friday confirmed the first case of clade I mpox in Canada, in a person in Manitoba.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said this travel-related case was associated with an ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox in central and eastern Africa.

"The individual sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after their return and is currently isolating," the agency said in a statement.

"PHAC is working closely with public health authorities in Manitoba. The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) notified the province on November 22 that the sample tested positive for mpox clade Ib," the agency added.

While clade II mpox has been circulating in Canada since 2022, this is the first case of clade I mpox confirmed in Canada, the PHAC further said.

The World Health Organization earlier in the day had said that the mpox outbreak continues to represent a public health emergency.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade Ib, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.

Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but it can be lethal.

The PHAC added that while the risk to Canada's general population at this time remains low, it continues to actively monitor the situation. It also said that a public health investigation, including contact tracing, is ongoing.

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Christopher Cushing)