The Canadian Public Health Agency said on Thursday that it had confirmed the first two cases of the disease, which was known mainly from Africa. The Quebec authorities are investigating a total of 17 suspected cases.
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The disease was confirmed this week by Britain, Spain, Italy and Sweden, among others. The United States on Wednesday found a case of smallpox in a man from the state of Massachusetts, who had previously visited Quebec.
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Australian authorities have announced that they have identified a probable case of smallpox in a 40-year-old man who recently returned to Sydney from Europe. His mild symptoms are similar to chickenpox, according to the New South Wales Ministry of Health.
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Monkey pox is a rare viral infection similar to human pox, but usually with milder manifestations. They were first recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased over the last decade. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, and a skin rash that usually appears on the face first and then spreads to the rest of the body.
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