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A total of 5,895 doses of vaccine have been administered, an increase of 1,959 since last week.
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June 21, 2022 • 30 minutes ago • 2 minutes reading • Join the conversation Because smallpox is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, the administration of a smallpox vaccine can prevent that people contract the disease or make it less serious, according to officials. Photo by DADO RUVIC / Reuters
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Quebec has reported an additional 30 cases of monkeypox as vaccines against rare viral disease increase.
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As of Monday, 171 cases had been reported, up from 141 five days ago, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
A total of 5,895 doses of vaccine have been administered, an increase of 1,959 since last week.
Quebec is administering the Imvamune smallpox vaccine. Because monkeypox is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, the administration of a smallpox vaccine can prevent people from contracting the disease or making it less serious, according to officials.
Last week, the director of public health in Montreal, Dr. Mylène Drouin, said that “the progression of cases every day is not spectacular.… We are seeing a few (new cases) per day.”
But with the arrival of summer and tourists flocking to the city, officials said they want to control the situation as soon as possible.
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Quebec has announced a vaccination campaign aimed at people most at risk of contracting smallpox. “One group in particular is affected: men who have sex with other men,” Quebec Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau said last week.
As of June 15, 2,103 laboratory-confirmed cases of smallpox had been reported to the World Health Organization.
The majority of cases (84%) occurred in Europe, the WHO said.
But Canada had the fifth highest number of cases per country, after the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Portugal.
Last week, the vast majority of cases in Canada (84%) were reported in Quebec, the federal government said.
The monkey’s smallpox is spread through close and prolonged contact, Quebec says on its official government website. The disease can be transmitted five days before the onset of symptoms and until all skin lesions have been covered with bark.
The incubation period, the time between exposure to an infectious pathogen and the onset of symptoms, is usually five to seven days, but can last up to 21 days.
In most cases, the disease goes away on its own in two to four weeks, but in “very rare cases … serious complications can occur,” according to the Quebec website.
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Montreal is the epicenter of the smallpox outbreak in North America
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Better safe than sorry, say Montrealers who get the smallpox vaccine