Eligible people in Grande Prairie can now get their monkeypox vaccine. Alberta Health Services says appointments are available for Albertans age 18 and older who self-identify as meeting the criteria for targeted infection prevention.
These criteria include transgender, cisgender, or two-spirit individuals who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men community. They must also have received a recent diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection in the past six months, plan to have or in the past 90 days have had sex outside of a mutually monogamous relationship, or have visited places of sexual contact in the past 90 days or may plan to.
Their sexual contacts are also permissible, as well as employees and volunteers, where sexual acts between men can take place. Anyone who is eligible and interested in the monkeypox vaccine should call Health Link at 1-866-301-2668.
Imvamune is the monkeypox and smallpox vaccine approved in Canada for adults who have been identified as being at high risk of exposure to the virus. According to the AHS, monkeypox is a rare disease similar to smallpox that can be contracted by humans with 19 confirmed isolated cases in Alberta so far.
The risk of infection to the public is considered low. Those at greatest risk are those who have had sexual contact with a new partner in the past month and who have a rash in the genital/perianal area, especially if they have a history of travel outside the province in the month before the onset of illness.
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