The Canadian Public Health Agency is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health authorities in Quebec to investigate potential exposure and close contact with a recently identified monkeypox case in the United States.

The Canadian Public Health Agency has confirmed the first two cases of monkeypox in the country.

The Canadian Public Health Agency (PHAC) is also working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health authorities in Quebec to investigate potential exposure and close contact with a recently identified monkeypox case in the United States.

Health officials in Montreal confirmed that 17 cases of monkeypox are under investigation, mostly among men aged between 30 and 55 years. Fifteen cases are in Montreal, one on the South Shore, and one on the North Shore.

The Director of Public Health in Montreal, Dr. Mélanie Drolet, confirmed the news on Thursday at a press conference.

Drolet said, "There is no need to panic at the moment we are speaking." "It is not a disease you catch when you are in the grocery store or on public transportation." She says it cannot spread in the community in this way, and it is not a disease transmitted through sexual contact.

The virus is transmitted through close contact and droplets, which is why public health recommends that infected individuals cover their hands with gloves and wear masks. There is no treatment. Health officials said there is some protection if you have received the smallpox vaccine.

The first cases were announced on May 12 from clinics specializing in sexually transmitted diseases — but after the announcement of a suspected case from the United States in a person in Montreal on May 17, further investigations were conducted.

Public health issued an alert to all doctors in the Montreal area to report all suspected cases so that public health can understand more about the transmission rate.

All cases have been isolated. Anyone living with suspected cases or their sexual partner is asked to monitor symptoms for 21 days and see a doctor if more appear.

Many suspected cases have recently been observed among gay and bisexual men, but Dr. Bergeron urged the public to remember that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection.

Some cases reported links to travelers in Mexico and Belgium, but all links are still being investigated.

Monkeypox is a viral disease usually spread by touch or bites from infected wild animals such as rodents or squirrels in West and Central Africa. This disease is relatively rare in Europe and North America. Transmission from human to human can occur through contact with bodily fluids, skin lesions, internal mucosal surfaces, and respiratory droplets.

Signs and symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that often appears a few days after symptoms such as fever appear.

Most people recover from the illness within several weeks, and it does not spread easily among people.

Monkeypox transmission has not previously been documented through sex but can occur through close contact with infected persons or their clothing or bed linens. Monkeypox is not known to be a sexually transmitted disease.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair