Toronto seeing ‘spike’ in mpox cases: officials

Toronto is reporting a “spike” in mpox cases and health officials are urging eligible residents to get vaccinated to contain the spread.

In a news release issued Tuesday, Toronto Public Health said it has seen 93 confirmed cases as of July 31. This time last year, the city’s case count stood at 21.

The latest numbers indicate that there were 13 new cases confirmed in Toronto over the last two weeks of July.

According to TPH, mpox cases have been reported across the city, however a higher concentration of infections has been observed among residents in the downtown core.

“In response to this spike in reported cases, TPH is working with community partners to increase awareness of the risk of getting mpox, improve access to vaccination and vaccinate eligible residents,” TPH said in their advisory.

The news comes ahead of an emergency meeting by the World Health Organization Wednesday to determine if the rise of infections in Africa and beyond should be declared a global emergency.

In March, TPH confirmed it had seen 21 cases of the virus since Jan.1, a sharp increase compared to 2023 when 27 infections were reported throughout the entire year.

This is a breaking news story. More to come.