Windsor-Essex confirms 1st case of monkeypox in the region

The public health unit in Windsor-Essex has confirmedthe region has diagnosed its first case of monkeypox.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) said Wednesday the case was confirmed through lab testing.

"At this time, the risk of monkeypox transmission in the community remains low," Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health in the southwestern Ontario region, said in a media release.

"Although cases have mostly been identified among males who report sexual or intimate contact with other males, anyone can get monkeypox. The most commonly reported risk factors include engaging in sexual or intimate contact with new and/or more than one partner."

Monkeypoxsymptoms usually developseven to 14 days after exposure. WECHU says symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chillsand exhaustion, followed by a rash.

As of a report publishedJuly 18, there were230 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ontario.