Ontario man who contracted monkeypox shares his story

Peter Kelly was one of the first people in Ontario to contract monkeypox.

"I did have a lot of fever, headache, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes in my groin and so on and it took many days for even the sores to start to pop up," Kelly said. 

The dancer and personal trainer had to quarantine for nearly a month and lost work. The experience, taking a huge toll.  

"I think the mental health aspect of things, I didn't really recognize was gonna be such a big thing for me and dealing with the stigma in the messages, hateful messages and so on and not even wanting to disclose that I have it to my friends and family because I'm embarrassed or I'm worried what they're going to think."

Canada’s top doctor says monkeypox can spread to anyone through close contact with an infected person or contaminated items like towels and bed linens.

Dr. Theresa Tam says gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, who make up nearly all cases, should be vigilant.

"The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends practicing safer sex, having fewer sexual partners, particularly anonymous partners, even when they don’t have symptoms, can also reduce your risk of getting infected," said Dr. Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. 

As of Wednesday, there are 23 cases of monkeypox in Ottawa, 326 province-wide. 

Symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, exhaustion, and a rash. 

To date, Ottawa Public Health says 1,449 vaccines for monkeypox have been given out in the city with on-going clinics.

"There is optimism that by focusing efforts in Canada and worldwide, we can seize this window of opportunity to contain the spread," said Dr. Tam.

Kelly is sharing his story to help stop the stigma.

"With me kind of opening up more publicly about my story it's kind of given me a lot of confidence also and to know that there are a lot of supporters, there's a lot of support out there and kind people."

He’s also advocating for more supports for those who may not have the physical or financial means to quarantine.