The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the territory last Thursday.

The Yukon government issued a brief news release on the revelation mid-afternoon Friday.

The announcement came at a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a global health emergency, and when top U.S. health officials are warning that their country has not done enough to prepare for the problems to come.

“Yukon Communicable Disease Control (YCDC) is conducting a thorough investigation into this case and the individual is in isolation,” Dr. Sudit Ranade, the territory’s new chief medical officer of health, said in Friday’s news release.

“In this case, we understand that the exposure to monkeypox occurred outside of the territory.

“Monkeypox and the resulting rash can look similar to other infectious diseases, such as chickenpox, or sexually transmitted infections such as herpes or gonorrhea,” Ranade added.

“Please consult a health care provider if you experience symptoms consistent with monkeypox.”

Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, he noted.

“Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder and rarely fatal.

“Monkeypox is usually a self-limited viral infection with a rash that may be painful, and most people recover on their own after a few weeks.”

The most up-to-date information on monkeypox can be found at yukon.ca/monkeypox.

“To protect the privacy of this individual, no further details will be shared,” Ranade added.

The disease is related to smallpox, which causes pus-filled lesions on the skin along with fever, pain, chills and exhaustion. The main difference between the two diseases is that smallpox tends to be more severe.

See Gwynne Dyer’s column on the global monkeypox picture, p. 7.