There were 98 cases in Quebec, nine in Ontario, four in Alberta and one in British Columbia, while other suspected cases are being investigated, Dr Theresa Tam said in a statement. Tam said the National Immunization Advisory Committee recommends that people who may be at high risk of exposure be vaccinated. However, he said a massive vaccination campaign against the virus was not necessary at the moment. Tam said the “primary goal” was to ensure that the epidemic did not spread further or settle in Canada. “This means a rapid cessation of the transmission chains.” The disease is spread mainly by close physical contact, including close sexual contact, or exposure to crusts, mucous membranes, body fluids or even sheets, Tam said. Most of the cases are currently among men who say they have had sex with other men, although the virus can spread to anyone who has had close physical contact with an infected person or “contaminated objects” such as blankets, he said. “I would like to remind everyone that monkey pox is not limited to one community.” The public health official said efforts were being made in the provinces with cases to raise awareness of communities that may be at risk of becoming infected. He advised doctors and other health care workers to “stay alert” to symptoms of the virus, including rash, regardless of whether anyone has traveled abroad. Monkeypox is commonly found in West and Central Africa, although it has now appeared all over the world, including the United Kingdom. Tam said the genome sequence suggests that cases in Canada are linked to the global epidemic. He said all the cases involved men aged 20 to 63 and “the majority reported having sex with men”. He advised people to contact local public health authorities for advice if they find a new rash or sores after sexual activity or close personal contact with other people. Ottawa Public Health confirmed on Friday that the virus had reached the capital. In a statement, she said that a case of smallpox in monkeys had been detected in a resident, but the person had now recovered. He added that he continued their close contacts. Quebec, with most cases in Canada, has already started offering vaccines to people who have been in close contact with infected people. Monkey pox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, and smallpox vaccines have been shown to be effective against monkey pox. Tam said the National Immunization Advisory Board advised offering a dose of the Imvammune vaccine to “high-risk individuals” in a possible or confirmed case of monkey pox or in an environment where transmission could occur within four days. He said local health officials were aware of “mini-superspreader incidents where there was a lot of close contact, including sexual contact”, adding that he was “working with these institutions”. The goal was to stop the virus from spreading further, and because contact detection is difficult, local health authorities in case areas have focused on communicating with these settings to try to stop further transmission. Tam said that although most contact was through close physical contact, health authorities were also considering “possible airborne transmission” or droplets. This Canadian Press report was first published on June 10, 2022. SHARE:
