Waterloo public health reports two more monkeypox cases

The number of confirmed monkeypox cases in Waterloo region has increased by two.

The new cases were posted on the Ontario Public Health epidemiological summary during the Sept. 13 update, but Waterloo Region Public Health said the two cases were confirmed before September.

“The two most recent cases are males in their 20 and 40s,” a spokesperson for public health said in an email to CTV News. “High-risk contacts were notified, and post-exposure vaccination was offered."

To date, the Region of Waterloo has confirmed four monkeypox cases.

The first local case of monkeypox was confirmed on Aug. 5, meaning all four cases in Waterloo region were confirmed in the same month.

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  This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Md. The World Health Organization recently declared the expanding monkeypox outbreak a global emergency. It is WHO’s highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. (NIAID via AP)