Health officials to provide update on suspected cases of monkeypox in Montreal

Montreal officials are slated to give an update Thursday morning about several suspected cases of monkeypox in the city.

Montreal Public Health Director Dr. Mylène Drouin is expected to speak at 11 a.m., alongside Medical Officer in Charge of Health Emergencies and Infectious Diseases Dr. Geneviève Bergeron.

So far, at least seven suspected cases have been detected in Montreal, according to Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

Monkeypox is a rare illness that can present as fever, headache and fatigue.

After a few days, patients can develop a rash that often starts on the face before spreading to other parts of the body.

Most patients recover in a matter of weeks, although it can be potentially fatal in some cases.

A distinguishing feature of monkeypox, compared to smallpox, is that it causes the lymph nodes to swell, according to the CDC.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts public health department in the U.S. said in a statement it had confirmed one case of the disease in an adult man “with recent travel to Canada.”

This comes after five cases were identified in Portugal, seven were confirmed in the U.K. and 23 were flagged in Spain.

Health officials are investigating whether the cases in North America are linked to the outbreaks in Europe.

Monkeypox is generally limited to Africa, with the few cases seen elsewhere in the world usually linked to travel to that region.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys that were kept for research.

The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the CDC.