Nova Scotia reports first confirmed case of monkeypox

Public Health officials have only identified one low-risk contact

CITYnews halifax \ Meghan Groff

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The province is reporting Nova Scotia’s first confirmed case of monkeypox.

The Department of Health and Wellness says the person contracted the virus outside of the province, and started showing symptoms after they returned.

Since then, Public Health officials have only identified one low-risk contact.

“Monkeypox cases have been reported in other Canadian jurisdictions, but the risk of exposure remains low,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang in a news release.

“Nova Scotia is working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada to monitor the situation here and across the country.”

The province is also working with the federal government to increase our supply of the monkeypox vaccine.

Right now we have a “very small allotment of 160 doses” that it is reserving for those at the highest risk of infection, like close contacts of confirmed cases.

“Monkeypox is spread through very close, intimate person-to-person contact, and so far, has been reported mostly among men who identify as gay or bisexual, or men who have sex with men,” the Department of Health and Wellness says.

The province adds it is working closely with organizations like Sexual Health Nova Scotia, prideHealth and the AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia to establish a pre-exposure vaccination program to target high-risk groups.

Monkeypox is spread through close contact with an infected person.

Health officials say this includes sexual activity, direct contact with monkeypox sores, inhaling respiratory droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person, and contact with contaminated items like bedding or clothing

It generally takes between five and 21 days for initial symptoms — like fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, back pain and exhaustion — to appear after exposure to the virus.

A day or two later, those symptoms can progress to include a rash or sores that usually start on the face, legs or arms, but then can also affect other parts of the body, including hands, feet, mouth and genitals.

The sores can last 2 to 4 weeks.

Anyone with symptoms or who has come into contact with someone who has monkeypox should contact their healthcare provider or call 811.

More information about monkeypox can be found at novascotia.ca/monkeypox/.