Canada had 77 confirmed cases of monkey pox on Friday, almost all detected in Quebec, where the situation is considered “worrying” by the authorities.

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The country had confirmed its first two cases on May 20 in the French-speaking province.

A situation deemed “worrying”, explained Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief administrator of the federal public health agency, during a press conference. The authorities fear in particular "to see cases develop in families and affect pregnant women or young children", he added.

Dr Njoo also clarified that this spread “is not (limited) to any particular group or milieu” and could therefore reach “anyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation”.

Smallpox vaccines were delivered to the province. They can be effective in protecting contact cases, as there is no cure for monkeypox, which is usually self-curing.

Monkeypox is usually a mild disease, but its spread outside endemic areas such as West Africa remains a concern.

More than 550 cases in 30 mainly European countries -- where the disease is not endemic and occurs only very rarely -- have been reported to WHO since the current spike in cases began nearly 100 years ago. a month.

This infectious disease is characterized by the appearance of rashes, which can be painful, especially if they are in sensitive areas such as the genitals.

Transmission requires close and prolonged contact between two people, and is mainly via saliva or pus from skin lesions formed during infection.