Monkeypox symptoms, as they presented on this patient, “are on the legs and more generally ,” he said. Thursday evening, Quebec's health ministry confirmed the province's first two cases of the disease and said 20 other suspected cases are under investigation. Thomas says the first person suspected to be positive arrived at his clinic with symptoms similar to those associated with syphilis, which creates rashes on the palms and feet. “The nurse told me ‘we didn’t have any education’.”Ī closer look at common symptoms (which can be unsightly) does explain why people have been seeking answers for their newly-emerged illness at l’Actuel. “I had never heard of this disease 24 hours ago,” said Thomas. That’s because l’Actuel is a clinic that treats sexually transmitted infections. Thomas said his staff is an unlikely first line of defence against a virus in the same family as variola, which causes smallpox. It could take days to confirm whether they have the virus, which is difficult to diagnose on the spot. Health-care professionals at the forefront of containing monkeypox’s possible arrival in Montreal say it’s too early to know just how far the virus has spread.Ī handful of potentially-infected patients have come to l’Actuel Clinic seeking treatment, said the centre's founder Dr.
