As cases of the mpox virus continue to rise in Africa and around the world — and could soon be declared a global health emergency — some Canadians are being told to get the vaccine.

The virus, formerly called Monkeypox, spreads mostly between people who have had intimate contact through body fluids, infected lesions, blisters or respiratory secretions. It is an infection with a rash that may be painful and later forms into scabs that fall off, the Public Health Agency of Canada says. Other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes and muscle pain.