Alberta confirms province's first monkeypox case

Alberta's chief medical officer of health says the province has identified a case of monkeypox.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says in a post on social media that an adult has tested positive for the rare disease that can cause fevers, aches and rashes.

She also says monkeypox does not spread easily between people.

Monkeypox typically spreads from close person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids, or indirect contact through contaminated clothing or linens.

She says the first person in the province to test positive for the disease had close contact with a known case outside the province.

On Wednesday, Quebec confirmed 52 monkeypox cases in the province and Toronto Public Health says that a man in his 40s is the second confirmed case in the city.