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Just a week after the city’s first smallpox case was confirmed, Ottawa Public Health administered 100 smallpox vaccine doses over the weekend to people at high risk of contracting the virus.
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The smallpox vaccines, which many countries have as strategic stocks, are effective against monkeypox, which comes from the same virus family. At Monday’s health council meeting, Dr Vera Ets said OPH plans to expand access to the vaccine for high-risk people, including the supply of clinics. OPH confirmed the first case of monkey pox in the city on June 10. The infected person has since recovered and their close contacts have been vaccinated. There are three additional suspects in Ottawa. As of June 16, Health Canada reported 168 confirmed cases of smallpox across the country, most of them in Quebec. There are 33 confirmed cases in Ontario and dozens of suspected or possible cases, most of them in Toronto.
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Monkey pox is endemic to parts of West Africa, but rarely occurs outside of these countries. The current outbreak, which includes at least 2,100 cases in 42 non-endemic countries, is unprecedented and is spreading rapidly. Monkey pox is milder than smallpox – which was eradicated through global health efforts in the 1980s. Etches said OPH is working with teams to raise awareness about monkey pox and will continue to address the need for vaccinations. The majority of monkey pox cases were in men who had sex with men and their contacts. World health authorities have warned that the infection, which causes a rash, blisters and some flu-like symptoms, can be transmitted from anyone through close contact and is not a strictly sexually transmitted disease.
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However, sexual intercourse was the focus of the province’s efforts to prevent the spread of monkey pox. The county has identified people with a recent history of sexually transmitted infections, with two or more sexual partners in recent weeks, and those who have been in sex for the same period, who are at increased risk of smallpox. In Toronto, Public Health organized two vaccination clinics over the weekend for people over the age of 18 belonging to the “gay, bisexual, and other male-to-male community.” Etches said OPH is working with the Ontario Department of Health, Public Health and local infectious disease experts to respond to any additional suspicious cases and make sure local doctors know what to look out for. Symptoms of smallpox include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headache, exhaustion, and rash with lesions. The rash often appears on the face and extremities a few days after the other symptoms and can spread to other parts of the body. The Ottawa AIDS Committee will hold an information meeting on monkey pox on Thursday at 6 p.m. For more information, contact [email protected]
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