At least 15 people with links to monkeypox cases have been vaccinated in Montreal

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“Currently, the priority is to limit the outbreak, not to find the origin.

Quebec says it is applying the Imvamune measles vaccine to “high-risk contacts” of confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox. Photo by DADO RUVIC / Reuters

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Fifteen people linked to monkeypox cases received the smallpox vaccine, and about 10 others were reserved for vaccination on Tuesday, the Montreal Public Health Department said.

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Quebec says it is applying the Imvamune measles vaccine to “high-risk contacts” of confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox, a rare viral disease first discovered in the province two weeks ago.

Because smallpox is closely linked to the virus that causes smallpox, smallpox vaccine can prevent people from contracting the disease or make it less severe, officials say.

Because the vaccination campaign is targeted and based on contact tracking, it is not possible to say how many people can be vaccinated, said Marian Packett, a public health spokeswoman in Montreal.

A single dose of the vaccine can be given within four days of exposure. A second dose may follow only if the risk of exposure is still present 28 days later.

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Authorities said several cases in Montreal involved a passenger from Boston.

Packett said the public health department had no more information on the possible source of the outbreak in Montreal. “Right now, the priority is to limit the outbreak, not to find the origin,” she said.

As of last Thursday, Quebec had 25 confirmed cases of monkeypox, with another 30 possible cases under investigation.

A spokesman for the Quebec Ministry of Health said the province would provide an update on the number of cases on Tuesday, but did not.

Federal health officials say only one other province has confirmed the presence of monkeypox: Ontario, which reported one case.

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Monkeypox is spread through close, long-term contact, Quebec says on its monkeypox website. The disease can be transmitted five days before the onset of symptoms and until all skin lesions are covered.

The incubation period – the time between exposure to an infectious pathogen and the onset of symptoms – is usually five to seven days, but can last up to 21 days.

The disease can be transmitted five days before the onset of symptoms and until all skin lesions are covered.

In most cases, the disease goes away on its own in two to four weeks, but “in very rare cases,” serious complications can occur, “says Quebec.

The Montreal Department of Public Health has advice for people who have had close contact with a suspected case, confirmed case, or if symptoms develop:

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• If you have been in close contact (sexual or living under one roof) with a suspected case or symptomatic person, observe the symptoms for 21 days.
• Limit close contact, including sexual intercourse, during the observation period.
• If you develop symptoms of monkeypox, see a health professional, wear a mask and cover the lesions. Before consulting, it is preferable to inform the clinic about the situation.
• People suspected of having the disease should isolate themselves at home, wear a mask, cover the lesions in contact with other people and observe hand hygiene.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, when two outbreaks of measles-like disease appeared in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name.

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The first case of human monkeypox was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

Since 1970, “most cases have been reported from rural rainforests in the Congo Basin, especially in the DRC, and cases from people across Central and West Africa have been increasingly reported,” said the World Health Organization (WHO). .

Since mid-May, cases have been reported in several countries where the disease is not usually detected.

On Monday, the WHO said it did not believe an outbreak of monkeypox outside Africa would lead to a pandemic. The health agency is considering whether the wave of cases should be assessed as a “potential public health emergency of international importance”, as was done for COVID-19 and Ebola, Reuters reported.

ariga@postmedia.com

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