Canada’s chief physician says more monkey measles vaccine is being negotiated as confirmed cases reach 278 nationwide.
Canada’s chief physician says more monkey measles vaccine is being negotiated as confirmed cases reach 278 nationwide.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam says there are “ongoing discussions and contract negotiations” to obtain doses from Bavarian Nordic, the Danish maker of a smallpox vaccine approved for use against monkeypox.
She says the current doses come from Canada’s National Strategic Emergency Reserve for targeted use in high-risk areas.
This includes Quebec, where Tam says more than 7,000 people have been vaccinated, and Ontario, where she says about 5,000 people have been vaccinated.
She says the provinces have the necessary supplies for now, but that federal officials are watching closely as the regions cut supplies.
It says there are 202 confirmed cases of monkeypox reported by Quebec, 67 from Ontario, five from Alberta and four from British Columbia as of June 29.
The majority of cases are men between the ages of 20 and 69, and the majority report intimate sexual contact with other men, although the risk of monkeypox is not exclusive to any group or environment.
He stressed that anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, can become infected if they come in close contact with someone who has monkeypox, or if they come in contact with personal belongings belonging to someone infected, including towels or bedding. underwear.
Bavarian Nordic said earlier this month that the Public Health Agency of Canada had agreed to a five-year contract for $ 56 million to purchase their Imvamune vaccine.
Deliveries are expected to begin in 2023.
Tam would not comment on how much remains in Canada’s stockpile, but said the provinces now vaccinating “have what they need.”
“We are having very close bilateral discussions with the provinces in terms of supply as they begin to reduce the supply allocated to their particular jurisdiction,” Tam said on Thursday.
“Of course, discussions and contract negotiations are ongoing with Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer, to access more.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2022.
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