On July 23, the World Health Organization officially declared monkeypox a global health emergency. The last time the WHO declared an outbreak a global health emergency was with COVID-19 on January 30, 2020. However, things are looking different with monkeypox. "Since early May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported from countries where the disease is not endemic, and continue to be reported in several endemic countries," the WHO stated.
Monkeypox is on the rise in Quebec as reported cases of the illness increase to a total of 331. In a matter of weeks, Quebec's reported cases of monkeypox jumped by 110 making it the epicentre of the virus in Canada. As of July 22, Canada has reported a total of 681 cases of monkeypox, with 288 reported in Ontario, 48 in British Columbia, 12 in Alberta and 2 in Saskatchewan.
In only a matter of weeks, the number of monkeypox cases has skyrocketed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. The province remains the Canadian epicentre of the monkeypox virus as Quebec officially reached a total of 211 cases as of July 6, 2022 an increase of 209 cases in a matter of a month. The majority of monkeypox cases are in the Greater Montreal area.
As of June 13, Quebec has had a total of 132 monkeypox cases. With the aim of easing or even preventing symptoms in case of infection, officials have begun offering the monkeypox vaccine to specific groups, including men who have more than one male sexual partner.