Monkeypox in Toronto: 2 suspected cases, 2 probable cases under investigation

Two new suspected cases of monkeypox and one new probable case of the virus were reported in Toronto on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases being investigated in the city to four.

Toronto Public Health said all three of the newly reported cases are in men two in their 30s and one in their 20s and they are "doing well."

One of the three men had traveled to Montreal and was a contact of the first suspected case Toronto Public Health said it was investigating in the city over the weekend.

That first case involved a man in his 40s who had contact with someone who had recently travelled to Montreal.The agency said Wednesday that the first case was now considered a probable case.

Quebec health officials have reported a total of 15 confirmed cases across that province. Last week, Quebec reported the first cases of the virus in Canada.

Not spread easily between people

Monkeypox is a rare disease that comes from the same family of viruses that causes smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated around the globe in 1980.

In general, monkeypox does not spread easily between people and is transmitted through prolonged close contact, including direct contact with an infected person's respiratory droplets, bodily fluids or sores.

Monkeypox is typically milder than smallpox and can cause fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and lesions all over the body.

Health officials have said the risk posed by monkeypox is low.