Ottawa, July 21 (IANS) The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed a total of 604 cases of monkeypox in the country as of Wednesday.
The cases included 320 from Quebec, 230 from Ontario, 40 from British Columbia, 12 from Alberta and two from Saskatchewan, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Canadian federal government said on Wednesday that it will fund to support community-based organisations in addressing monkeypox.
According to the PHAC, provinces and territories are reviewing case data in their jurisdictions, and those meeting the case definition will be reported to the PHAC to be included in the national investigation.
The National Microbiology Laboratory is performing diagnostic testing for the virus that causes monkeypox. In addition, the laboratory is conducting whole genome sequencing, an enhanced fingerprint analysis, on Canadian samples of monkeypox, the PHAC said.
Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that may cause infections in humans and the disease usually occurs in forested parts of Central and West Africa. It is caused by the monkeypox virus which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, according to the World Health Organization.
Two suspects, 16 and 17 year old males, were located nearby and arrested by police. Initial indications are that there was an altercation between the parties involved, who were known to each other, prior to the stabbing.
A year ago Canada said it would donate almost 18 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to lower-income countries. As of June 22, almost nine million doses were delivered to 21 different nations.
A statement from Castlegar RCMP says the crash happened Thursday as the 18-year-old woman and 15 other Quebec students were aboard the bus while taking part in the program at the nearby college.
No suspects have been identified but a silver four-door Infiniti was spotted leaving the area and police are determining if a burning car found a short time later about five kilometres away could be connected.
The new hospital will have 168 beds, a surgical/perioperative suite with five operating rooms, four procedure rooms, an emergency department with 55 treatment spaces, and virtual care options in all clinical service areas.
While the investigation is in its early stages, this incident does appear to be targeted and there does not appear to be any ongoing risk to the public. The victim is known to police. Traffic in the area of Patterson Avenue and Hurst Street will likely be affected for several hours due to the ongoing investigation.
