Saskatchewan

Sask. officials confirm 2nd case of monkeypox, but say it's not linked to previous case

Saskatchewan is reporting its second case of monkeypox. However, the Ministry of Health says this case of the highly transmissible disease is not linked to the first case.

Ministry of Health says risk to the public remains low

Saskatchewan is reporting its second case of monkeypox.  (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Saskatchewan is reporting its second case of monkeypox. 

The Ministry of Health says this case of the highly transmissible disease is not linked to the first case, which was reported Wednesday. 

Health officials are still doing contact tracing, but they believe the infected person, like the previous one, likely contracted it while travelling, or from someone who contracted the disease out of province.

The province is not releasing any more details, including the location of the case or the age or gender of the patient. However, health officials say they will provide public notification to a community or location if the risk to others is considered high.

However, they say, the risk to the public remains low.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, the federal government listed 539 total monkeypox cases in the country, including the two in Saskatchewan. 

Monkeypox is normally spread through face-to-face close contact, touching bodily fluids or exposure to contaminated objects like bed linens or clothing. Symptoms include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Sciarpelletti

Journalist & Radio Columnist

Laura is a journalist for CBC Saskatchewan. She is also the community reporter for CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories and host of the arts and culture radio column Queen City Scene Setter, which airs on CBC's The Morning Edition. Laura previously worked for CBC Vancouver. Some of her former work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, NYLON Magazine, VICE Canada and The Tyee. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a master of journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at [email protected]