Monkeypox outbreak could mean virus has ‘mutated for better human-to-human transmission,’ experts say

Two Quebec cases of virus typically found in Africa

WATERLOO REGION Two confirmed cases of monkeypox in Quebec has local public health experts worried that a more-transmissible mutation of the virus could be in the country.

The virus, which has also been confirmed in Australia, the U.S., and countries across Europe, is most commonly spread in West and Central Africa.

While it does pop up in other parts of the world from time to time, it is rare to see it presenting in multiple countries, said Wilfrid Laurier University virologist and immunologist Stephanie DeWitte-Orr.

“Finding it in Europe and Canada — almost at the same time — is very unusual,” said DeWitte-Orr. “This does suggest that the virus has mutated for better human-to-human transmission; however, it is too early to know whether this virus will present a problem to the greater population.”

As of Friday, cases have been confirmed in Belgium, France, Australia, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

There are no confirmed cases in Waterloo Region, said David Aoki, the region’s director of infectious diseases.

“We are receiving updates from the Public Health Agency of Canada and continue to monitor the situation,” he said. “We have not been made aware of any cases or contacts within Waterloo Region. We will provide updates as we receive more information from the federal and provincial governments.”

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, which means it is transmitted to humans by animals. Transmission generally occurs in the rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, though it does occasionally spread to other regions around the world.

Symptoms of monkeypox infection include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. Infection may lead to a range of medical complications, including death. The World Health Organization said the fatality rate is currently between three and six per cent in recent cases.

Vaccination against smallpox is quite effective against monkeypox, said DeWitte-Orr, but Canada has not been administering those vaccinations since the early 1970s.

Anyone under 50 is likely not protected, she said.

Unlike COVID-19 or the flu, monkeypox is not highly transmissible. In most cases, it is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

It is less contagious than smallpox and generally causes less severe illness.

“The lesson that we learned from COVID-19 is not to jump too quickly to conclusions about the virus and its properties,” said Craig Janes, director of University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health, noting that scientists originally thought COVID was only transmitted through droplets and surfaces but later realized the virus is also transmitted through airborne particles.

“We still need to know much more about these current outbreaks than we do now and let science do its thing before we panic,” he said.

Scientists should know whether this is a new and more transmissible strain in the coming days.

“We’ll know this fairly soon, I would think, as we have the capacity to sequence these current viruses fairly quickly to see if they’ve changed,” he said.

“And, importantly, we already have a vaccine that should work against monkeypox. If this turns out to be a more transmissible — and serious — illness, we’re already ahead of the game on this score at least.”