Quebec now has 211 confirmed cases of monkeypox as vaccination numbers rise | Globalnews.ca

Quebec has reported a total of 211 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the latest update provided by health officials Thursday.

That is a rise of nine compared with the province’s previous number of 202 infections declared earlier this week.

The Health Department said 8,101 doses of smallpox vaccine Imvamune have been administered to date, an increase of 533 from the last update. The province started doling out shots on May 27.

Quebec recorded the first cases of monkeypox in Canada last month, with the first suspected infections in Montreal. Two weeks ago, public health officials said the city was the epicentre of the outbreak.

The province has the highest number of cases in the country, according to the country’s public health agency (PHAC). Canada reported a total of 278 infections as of Wednesday.

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

It spreads through prolonged close contact, though it is not very contagious in a typical social setting.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and lesions. Most recover within weeks without needing medical care.

— with files from Global News’ Aya Al-Hakim, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press