A first monkeypox vaccination center has been opened in Montreal, where the epidemic is on the rise. More than 500 people have already received a dose of vaccine, while Quebec has 71 officially declared cases.
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
Vincent Marcellin The press
The Berri / Center-Sud vaccination center has been administering monkeypox vaccine doses since Friday. Admissions are made by appointment every day from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to a procedure similar to vaccination against COVID-19. Thus, 516 people have already received a dose of monkeypox vaccine since May 30, reports the CIUSS du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. Most of the people affected are gay men living in Montreal.
At the moment, vaccination candidates remain cautious in the face of the rising epidemic. Many came for prevention, particularly run by the community organization RÉZO, which works with gay or bisexual men and men who have sex with other men (MSM).
This is the case of Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, who was questioned when he left the vaccination center: “I saw RÉZO’s post on Facebook, and I thought it was important to come. I don’t know anyone who has contracted the disease, but I think we should encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated. »
Photo by ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry
However, cases of illness in the entourage of respondents are not uncommon. “I have a French friend who just caught him,” said Martin Guay, who said he had not seen the patient recently. After the pandemic we just experienced, it’s sure to be a little alarming. »
200 injections a day
Before receiving their vaccine dose, patients are given a questionnaire to assess their degree of contact with the disease. According to Lise Maurice, a nurse at the CIUSSS du Center-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, “these are mainly people who have been in contact with other people who have contracted the disease. The only people we rejected were because they were not sexually active, so the risk was very low. “
Smallpox can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, but also through close physical contact with an infected person, their clothing, or their sheets.
In the vaccination room, patients wait their turn in silence. The Berri / Center-Sud vaccination center performs approximately 200 injections a day. In the face of growing demand, some patients had to return several times for a dose. Most patients are men under the age of 50 who have never been vaccinated against smallpox. Caregivers also have priority for vaccination.
The vaccinated are currently refusing to panic. “I’m not very worried, because I know you can’t die for it,” said Robert Girard after receiving his injection. It’s a little alarming, but I imagine it will be controlled at some point. »
Although in most cases the disease heals on its own in two to four weeks, life-threatening complications can occur in about 1% of cases, especially in immunocompromised people.
The number of cases of smallpox in Quebec has tripled in less than a week, making the province one of the territories hardest hit by the epidemic. Last Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada considered the epidemic situation in Quebec “worrying”.
Fever, night sweats, headaches, swollen glands and muscle aches are the main warning signs of the disease. People with these symptoms are advised to consult a healthcare professional immediately for an evaluation, to wear a mask and to cover the injuries.