Manitoba has detected what is believed to be the first confirmed case of a recently identified lineage of mpox in Canada. The province said Friday it has identified the first confirmed case of clade Ib mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in the province.

The Manitoba government is reporting the first confirmed case of mpox in the province, noting it is also a strain that has not been seen in Canada before.

Canada's public health agency confirmed a Manitoba person contracted the more severe mpox strain. PHAC says public risk remains low.

Canada has been dealing with mpox Clade II virus since the year 2022 but recently the country recorded its first ever mpox Clade I variant in a traveller who returned from Africa.