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.
Coquitlam RCMP has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and an Elementary school near by was put on 'hold and secure'. One person was located and is in custody. There is no risk to the public.
The victim arranged to sell a pair of shoes from Facebook Marketplace. Two men arrived at his residence and after several minutes, pepper sprayed the victim and took off with the shoes. The victim suffered minor injuries from the spray.
Leonard Landrick was in his late 70s when he was handed the life terms for the 2017 slayings of 57-year-old building council member Sandra McInnes and 51-year-old Neil Croker, the building's manager.
District of North Vancouver Fire Rescue Service were already on scene. Flames and smoke were seen coming from the three-story structure, and firefighters quickly brought the fire under control.
The three-year exemption effective Jan. 31 will apply to drug users 18 and over and include opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.
