Public Health Sudbury & District said the person likely acquired the infection in the Toronto area. The person is in isolation and all close contacts have been traced. “At this time, the risk to the general population remains low as we have not detected the virus circulating in Sudbury and the regions and it does not spread easily,” said Dr Penny Sutcliffe, a medical doctor. “Public health is monitoring everybody. No isolation required, but really close monitoring of symptoms to make sure you don’t develop symptoms at 21 days or three weeks after exposure.” “Residents should not have to worry about their daily activities,” Sutcliffe said. The Health Unit is closely monitoring the situation. Anyone showing symptoms or who has been in contact with a suspected or known case of monkeypox should contact their health care provider immediately. “Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, age or gender, can spread monkeypox through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores or by sharing contaminated items,” Sutcliffe said. Monkeypox—a rare disease for North America—is usually a mild disease, and treatment focuses on relieving symptoms. It is spread through close contact with an infected person or their clothing or linens. The virus enters the body through skin-to-skin contact with bodily fluids (saliva, lesions, blisters, or rashes) and through mucus or respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact (breathing, talking, and coughing). Symptoms usually develop five to 21 days after exposure and last two to four weeks. Sutcliffe says that at the local level, health care providers are well aware of what to look for. “We’ve shared what we call advisory alerts, ensuring that clinicians have the information they need at their fingertips.” “Certainly, it’s a reportable disease right now,” Sutcliffe said. “So if a clinician or a doctor or a nurse practitioner forms the opinion that someone might be infected, they will contact us. And so the system works well, or has worked well. And that’s the situation here.” Symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle, joint and back pain and exhaustion. A rash could also develop on the face or limbs, as well as the hands, feet, mouth and genitals, with crusts forming later. Sutcliffe says she believes this is the first confirmed case of smallpox in northern Ontario.
