The infected person remains in isolation and contact tracers have been called in to identify the source of the infection and notify close contacts. Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, issued a statement advising New Brunswickers that the virus is spread through close contact with infected people or animals and does not spread like COVID-19. He said the general public is not at a similar level of risk, but should know how to reduce their risk. The monkeypox disease comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. Monkeypox outbreaks began to appear worldwide in non-endemic countries in May. Just this week, the number of cases in Canada topped 1,000, although there are early signs that the virus may now be spreading at a slower pace.
