Niagara gets first Monkeypox case, checking close contacts of patient

It was bound to happen eventually. Niagara Region Health has just reported its first confirmed case of Monkeypox in a local resident.

The health unit did not reveal any of the patient’s information, including where he or she resides.

Right now, they said they’re searching all of the patient’s friends and family “to identify at-risk contacts, and to help prevent spread of the virus. Eligible close contacts will be offered Imvamune vaccine.”

They noted that Monkeypox can spread from person-to-person through “direct contact with an infected individual’s bodily fluids, sores, or materials contaminated with the virus, such as bedding, clothing, or toothbrush.”

Anyone with close contact with a confirmed case of monkeypox could be at risk for the virus. The pubic health unit noted, “Individuals with multiple or anonymous sexual partners are at a higher risk of contracting the infection. During this current outbreak, infections have been primarily reported among gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men through their close personal and sexual networks.”

In essence, the LGBTQ community has to be on higher alert for potentially contacting the virus.

Symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle aches and pain
• Swollen lymph nodes (e.g., in the neck and groin)
• A blistering rash that typically appears between one and three days after other symptoms, such as a fever, develop.

They added, “Most individuals who become infected with monkeypox will recover in two to four weeks without treatment, however, some people can experience severe illness.”

Public Health will be operating several monkeypox vaccine clinics for at-risk individuals from August 2 to 4 and they’ll be sharing more information on those clinics later this week.

For more information on monkeypox, please visit HERE.