Content of the article
After years of headlines for COVID-19, monkeypox is now in the news.
Content of the article
As of June 3, Canada has confirmed 77 cases of the disease, which is occurring worldwide, and one case was discovered in Alberta last week. According to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinah Hinshaw, the person diagnosed with monkeypox had close contact with a known case outside the province.
David Evans, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Alberta, and Timothy Caulfield, a professor of law at the University of A and the Faculty of Public Health, spoke to Postmedia about what Alberta residents need to know now.
What causes monkeypox?
Like COVID-19, monkeypox is caused by a virus, but of a different kind: COVID is caused by a coronavirus made from RNA, while monkeypox comes from what is known as a poxvirus made from DNA.
Monkeypox is caused specifically by an orthopoxvirus, a subfamily in this group that includes the smallpox virus.
What do we know about the virus?
Monkeypox was first identified in a laboratory nearly 70 years ago, and unlike the virus that causes COVID, it is not new.
It is endemic in several countries in West and Central Africa, and health authorities there have experience in its follow-up and treatment. But because of what is called a neglected tropical disease, monkeypox has not received much global attention until recent cases in non-endemic countries in Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada.
Evans, who specifically studies orthopoxviruses, explained that the monkeypox virus is sometimes used as a substitute for smallpox research.
Content of the article
“If we want to test a vaccine that we think will work against smallpox, you check to see if it will protect against monkeypox, for example.
Although there are still questions about the current spread of the disease, Evans said he sees “nothing unusual” in this strain of the monkeypox virus.
This does not mutate into a new, more deadly strain.
How do you catch monkeypox?
Last week, Hinshaw stressed that monkeypox “does not spread easily among humans.” Close, direct contact with an infected person who has symptoms is the main way the disease spreads. There is also a risk of contact with objects that have been contaminated, such as sick person’s sheets or cutlery that they have used for eating.
There is also the potential for the spread of monkeypox with respiratory droplets during “prolonged” contact between humans.
A disproportionate number of outbreaks have been identified in men who have sex with men. But Caulfield stressed that anyone can get monkeypox and the spread is not limited to sexual activity. “The disease is spread mainly through close contact, so if you’re in a community where you can have closer contact, you’re going to see a leap in those communities,” he said.
“In the early days when it started, I was on social media talking about it, and I made people reject it, ‘No, that’s not true. It is a disease of the gay community. This really shows how important it is to make sure that the information is accurate, that the stories are not disturbing or stigmatizing. ”
What happens if you catch monkeypox?
Symptoms may begin as flu-like, with fever, pain, and swollen lymph nodes. After a few days, a rash appears that can spread – although in some recent cases, doctors have seen a finer rash with only a few wounds in one area of the body.
In Alberta, if you think you have been in close contact with someone with smallpox or have symptoms of the disease, you should isolate yourself and call 811 or tell your doctor. The infection usually goes away after a few weeks, but the rash can be very painful and cause scarring.
Although people should be screened if they think they have cause for concern, the risk in this province is low.
“This does not mean that, in general and in terms of global health, this is not a serious problem and something that deserves intensive scrutiny,” Caulfield said.
“But as far as this level of individual risk is concerned at the moment, I don’t think the average Alberta should be too worried.
With a confirmed case in Alberta, what now?
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, Howard Nju, said the entire Canadian population is likely to be susceptible to monkeypox, as routine smallpox vaccination was stopped in 1972.
But that doesn’t mean we have a new monkey pandemic. It is much less contagious than COVID, especially compared to the Omicron variant.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the country has a small stockpile of three types of smallpox vaccine that can also work against monkeypox, including a newer vaccine that has far fewer side effects than injections. which people would have before routine use. immunization stopped.
In Quebec, where there are currently more than 70 confirmed cases of monkeypox, the province provides access to the vaccine to high-risk contacts with a confirmed or probable case of monkeypox. The PHAC said it was closely monitoring the situation, but no mass vaccination campaign was needed at the moment.
Evans said the previous history of monkeypox outbreaks has historically been small and limited, and more work remains to be done to understand what is happening this time.
“I think it’s more like the epidemiology of how it got into a certain population and then spread. That’s the difference in this case. “
– With files from The Canadian Press
masmith@postmedia.com
twitter.com/meksmith
Add Comment