Second monkeypox case confirmed in British Columbia

British Columbia health officials have confirmed the province’s second case of monkeypox.

The province confirmed its first patient on June 6. The second case was confirmed on or before June 14, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

Both cases were in the Vancouver Coastal Health area and both were related to travel, according to the BCCDC.

The cases were not related to one another, it added.

There are currently around 1,900 confirmed cases of the virus globally in more than 30 countries.

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As of June 17, 168 of those cases had been confirmed in Canada, more than two thirds of them in Quebec, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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The virus, which was first found in monkeys, is of a genus related to smallpox according to the BCCDC.

It is spread through close contact with sores and items like bedding or towels that can become infected. It is also spread through respiratory droplets like coughs and sneezes, during close face-to-face contact with an infected person, the BCCDC says.

Symptoms of the first state of infection can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, back pain and exhaustion, according to the BCCDC.

In stage two, a rash develops, usually on the face or extremities but sometimes on other parts of the body.

Sores typically last between two and three weeks. The PHAC says the illness is usually self-resolving, however severe cases can occur and may be fatal.