Quebec public health officials reported 132 confirmed cases of monkeypox across the province as of Tuesday, with more than 3,000 doses of vaccine so far.
Dr Luc Boalo, interim director of Quebec’s public health department, told reporters in Montreal that the situation was “under control so far”.
“It’s not growing fast,” he said, given the number of infections, which has risen from 98 in the latest report. “It’s rising slowly, but there’s still progress.”
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The majority of monkeypox cases in the province have been found in Montreal, representing 126 infections to date.
“Montreal is the epicenter,” said Dr. Milen Druen, the city’s director of public health. She said most cases were not serious.
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Monkeypox is a rare disease. It comes from the same family of viruses that caused smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.
The virus is spread through prolonged intimate contact, but is not very contagious in a typical social environment. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and lesions.
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Quebec recorded the first cases of monkeypox in the country last month, with the first suspected infections reported on May 12 in Montreal.
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The province administers the Imvamune measles vaccine, although it is reserved for close contacts at high risk of developing the disease. More than 3,000 doses have been given since late May, Boalo said on Tuesday.
The majority of cases were found among men who had sex with other men, so Druin explained that the vaccine would now be available in the community as a preventative measure.
“This is an additional measure we are introducing to control the outbreak,” Druin said.
– with files from The Canadian Press
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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