Winnipeg travellers take flight amid monkeypox concerns
Canadians travelling internationally are being warned about monkeypox, as outbreaks of the disease have been reported in dozens of countries including Canada.
For Winnipeggers Aidan Stewart and Joshua Thatcher, Paris awaits.
"I haven't been anywhere other than Canada for quite a few years now so I'm excited to see the rest of the world again," Stewart told CTV News in the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport as he prepared to board a flight.
The two friends are set to start their European adventure, but there is some concern lingering.
A Level 2 travel notice has been issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada. It's warning travellers about monkeypox, a disease caused by a virus usually found in parts of Africa. In recent weeks, outbreaks have been reported in 29 other countries including Canada.
As of Tuesday, there have been 81 monkeypox cases in Canada, the majority in Quebec. Globally more than 1,000 cases have been reported to the World Health Organization.
The outbreaks have prompted a warning to travellers.
"You may have limited access to timely and appropriate health care should you become ill, and may experience delays in returning home," the notice from the Public Health Agency of Canada reads. "Be particularly vigilant if you are planning to attend a large party or mass gathering while travelling.”
According to the travel notice, monkeypox cases usually are mild, but symptoms can last for several weeks.
Travel Pharmacist Ryan Buffie said a Level 2 travel notice like this is a precautionary one.
"You want to take some of the same precautions we learned from COVID," he said. "Avoiding crowded places, close contact with people, wearing masks."
His advice is to avoid sick people because transmission can happen – like COVID – through respiratory droplets.
"It's also possible there can be transmission through clothes or linens that the person has touched if their sores are weeping," he said.
The notice is enough to stop some from international travel, but Thatcher and Stewart aren't modifying their plans.
"I don't think we planned to do many activities that involve close contact, so yeah not really a big deal," said Stewart.
There have been no suspected or confirmed cases in Manitoba according to public health.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Possible scenarios that could play out in Ottawa as the Liberal government teeters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is said to be reflecting on his future over the holidays after the resignation of his top cabinet minister, Chrystia Freeland, in mid-December. The bombshell move prompted a fresh wave of calls for Trudeau to step down as Liberal leader from inside and outside the caucus.
LIVE UPDATES Latest info: FBI says the New Orleans truck attacker acted alone in an 'act of terrorism'
The FBI now says the New Orleans truck attacker acted alone in an 'act of terrorism' when he drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year's revellers early Wednesday, killing 14 people.
Woman, father killed on New Year's Eve were victims of intimate partner violence: Halifax police
Halifax police are investigating three deaths that are connected – two of which they say were homicides resulting from intimate partner violence – in the city on New Year’s Eve.
Man who died in Tesla Cybertruck explosion was active-duty U.S. Army soldier, officials say
The person who authorities believe died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters outside U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
FORECAST Weather warnings issued in 6 provinces and territories
Wintry weather conditions, including heavy snow and wind chill values around -55, prompted warnings in six provinces and territories early Thursday morning.
Sask. RCMP locate missing inmate of Yorkton prison
An inmate who was wanted for being unlawfully-at-large after not returning to Whitespruce Provincial Training Centre in Yorkton has been found and arrested.
5 things we know and still don't know about COVID, 5 years after it appeared
The virus is still with us, though humanity has built up immunity through vaccinations and infections. It's less deadly than it was in the pandemic's early days and it no longer tops the list of leading causes of death. But the virus is evolving, meaning scientists must track it closely.
Who are Canada's top-earning CEOs and how much do they make?
Canada's 100 highest-paid CEOs earned $13.2 million on average in 2023 from salaries, bonuses and other compensation, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
More Popsicles, please: Your tonsils can grow back
Tonsil regrowth is rare. Here's one woman's experience when she had to get her tonsils removed – again.