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The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency due to the global epidemic of monkeypox,
This handout photo, taken in 2001 and received Monday, May 23, 2022, by the Robert Koch Institute, shows a color electron microscopic capture of the monkeypox virus. Photo by ANDREA MAENNEL / ANDREA SCHNARTENDORFF / Robert Koch Institute / AFP via Getty Images
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Monkeypox vaccines will now be made available to high-risk groups, British Columbia’s Ministry of Health announced Friday.
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The ministry said that although the number of cases in BC remains low, some community transmission has been identified.
As of Wednesday, there were 61 cases of monkeypox in British Columbia, including three cases at Fraser Health, 54 at Vancouver Coastal Health and four at Island Health. No cases in Interior Health and Northern Health.
Health officials will trace the contacts of those who have been exposed to smallpox.
The vaccine can be used as a preventative measure or given after exposure to prevent disease or severe outcomes.
It will be available to contacts of people with monkeypox or people considered high-risk, the ministry said.
According to the British Columbia Center for Disease Control, the vaccine will be offered primarily to transgender people or men who have sex with other men who meet any of the following criteria:
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• You have been diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea and/or syphilis in the past two months, or• You have had two or more sexual partners in the past 21 days, or• You have visited bathhouses, sex clubs, or played in the park, or plan to• You have had anonymous sex in in the last 21 days, or plan to do so, or• Engaged in sex work or plan to do so as a worker or client
Health officials in British Columbia say the monkeypox virus does not spread easily from person to person. All identified local transmissions involved prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which is thought to be the primary mode of spread of the virus
To date, British Columbia has received 14,480 doses of vaccine to control the outbreak, including post-exposure prophylaxis.
Vaccines are ordered weekly and all doses are distributed to health authorities for administration. As of Wednesday, 7,200 doses had been administered to people at high risk, according to the health ministry.
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Last week, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern to deal with the global epidemic of monkeypox.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has urged gay and bisexual men to practice safe sex and limit the number of sexual partners they have to reduce their risk of contracting the disease, which is mostly spread among men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox can occur in two stages, with flu-like symptoms first followed by a rash, usually with sores or blisters, although many people only get the rash.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 21,148 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide, with most of the cases identified in 71 countries, including Canada, that have not previously reported the disease.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
— With files from The Canadian Press
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