Canada reports 10 new cases of monkeypox, including the first in Ontario

(Reuters) – The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed 10 new cases of monkeypox, including the first case in the province of Ontario, bringing the country’s total to 26 cases, the agency said on Thursday.

The province of Quebec has reported 25 cases, an increase of nine cases from Wednesday, the agency said. More cases are likely to be confirmed in coming days after samples from “multiple jurisdictions” are tested, it said.

Canada confirmed its first two cases of monkeypox last week.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder, first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased in the last decade.

About 200 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been detected so far in more than 20 countries where it is not endemic, the World Health Organization said on Thursday,

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler)