*Canada’s Public Health Agency (PHAC)* has confirmed the country’s *first case of clade I MPOX in Manitoba*.

The travel-related case is linked to an outbreak in central and eastern Africa. The infected individual sought medical care upon returning to Canada, and is currently in isolation.                                                                                                      

While clade II mpox has circulated in Canada since 2022, this marks the *first clade Ib case*, identified by the *National Microbiology Laboratory.* 

The *WHO* declared MPOX a *global public health emergency* for the second time in two years after the new variant of the virus, called clade Ib, spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries. While the overall risk to Canadians has been noted to be low, PHAC is conducting contact tracing and monitoring the situation closely. 

Source: Reuters | [Read full story](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/canada-confirms-first-case-clade-i-mpox-canada-2024-11-23/)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    