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Despite the apparent plateau, public health director Dr Milen Drouin said the chances of transmission remained high as summer festivals continued and outbreaks erupted in cities around the world.
Publication date:
July 28, 2022 • 48 minutes ago • Read 3 minutes • Join the conversation Montreal Director of Public Health Dr. Millen Drouin gives an update on the city’s monkeypox situation, while Quebec Director of Public Health Dr. Luke Boileau listens on June 14, 2022. Photo by John Mahoney/Montreal Gazette
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Montreal Public Health Director Dr. Milen Drouin urged people in risk groups to get vaccinated against monkeypox as the number of people infected with the disease reached 299 in the city.
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Drouin said Thursday that the city’s monkeypox outbreak appears to have plateaued in terms of transmissions. But with ongoing summer festivals, including Montreal’s Pride from Aug. 1 to 7, and outbreaks in cities around the world, the chances of transmission remain elevated, she said.
“My main message today is to go get vaccinated,” Drouin said at a news conference Thursday morning.
To date, 13,250 Montrealers have been vaccinated, which is a large number compared to other cities that have been hit hard, she said. The public health goal is to reach 25,000 vaccinations to contain the disease.
“The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox epidemic an international emergency, and we know that we can be affected by transmission in other countries,” Drouin said. “In the United States and Ontario and European countries, we are seeing a rapid increase in the number of cases. So we have to remain vigilant.”
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Monkeypox is associated with a painful rash that may be accompanied by fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and body aches. Although not strictly considered a sexually transmitted infection, it is spread through contact with bodily fluids or scabs and contaminated personal items such as clothing, bedding, sex toys or toothbrushes.
In Montreal, it continues to mostly affect men from the gay, bisexual and trans community, Drouin said. “Right now it’s in that specific community because there’s a lot of interconnectedness with certain groups of that community. But I think we need to see this disease not only related to a particular community. It’s not just through sexual contact.
Drouin urged Montrealers to heed the same safety recommendations applied to other STDs.
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Drouin’s announcement came a day after Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Teresa Tam, said an urgent response was needed to deal with the country’s growing number of cases.
Men who have sex with men should practice safe sex and limit the number of partners they have to limit the spread of monkeypox in Canada, Tam advised Wednesday.
The World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern last weekend. As of Wednesday, there were 346 reported cases in Quebec, 326 in Ontario, 58 in British Columbia, 12 in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan and one in the Yukon.
Public health authorities in Montreal were careful to work on a targeted information campaign aimed at at-risk communities, rather than a broad media message, so as not to stigmatize the gay, bisexual and trans community, Drouin said. Although Montreal was the first city in Canada to identify a major outbreak in early May, Thursday’s monkeypox press conference was the first in two months, Drouin noted.
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The targeted campaign has proven successful, judging by Montreal’s relatively high vaccination rate, Drouin said.
Simon Gamache, executive director of Montreal Pride, said his organization welcomes the public health directives, which “will allow us to look forward to a healthy Pride, although we must remain vigilant. … The festival helps to break the isolation of marginalized people, allowing other health issues to be mitigated.”
The efforts of Montreal’s public health department and public health organizations “made Montreal one of the few cities in the world to hold a Pride event where a critical mass of people will be vaccinated against monkeypox,” Gamache said.
Alexandre Dumont Blais, head of the non-profit public organization RÉZO, which works with gay, bisexual and trans communities in the city, said “our main message is: Don’t be afraid to talk about the disease with your partners and get tested if you have any doubts.
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Information about vaccinations and testing is available on the Montreal Public Health website, santemontreal.qc.ca, and on the Clic Santé appointment booking website.
Monkeypox is a close relative of the eradicated smallpox virus, and smallpox vaccines have been shown to be effective in controlling monkeypox.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that people with high-risk exposure to a confirmed or probable case of monkeypox receive a dose of Imvamune smallpox vaccine. The federal government has so far deployed more than 70,000 doses of the vaccine to provinces and territories, and about 27,000 of those have been used.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
rbruemmer@postmedia.com
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