The National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) is undertaking a study on the effectiveness of the Imvamune vaccineMD against monkeypox. This project will help clarify the impact of the summer 2022 vaccination campaign on the outbreak of monkeypox (also known as mpox in English) that occurred in Quebec. To date, approximately 40,000 doses of ImvamuneMD were administered, mainly to cis or trans, gay, bisexual or queer (GBTQ) men or men who had sex with other men (MSM).
As part of his epidemiological investigation into monkeypox, the national director of public health mandated the INSPQ to verify the effectiveness of the Imvamune vaccine.MD. The study began in January 2023 in collaboration with the Research Center of the CHU de Québec – Université Laval, the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal and RÉZO, a Montreal community organization specializing in GBTQ men’s health.
The INSPQ is recruiting just over 1,000 people who have received a diagnostic test (positive or negative) for monkeypox. For the first time, a case-control study similar to those conducted in Quebec on the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 will be applied to monkeypox. This project will help validate the results of some preliminary international studies that suggest the vaccine confers good immunity. The first results specific to Quebec are expected by the summer of 2023.
Medical specialist at the INSPQ and associate researcher in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Laval University, Dr. Nicholas Brousseau explains: “Vaccination against monkeypox was able to contribute significantly to controlling the outbreak observed in 2022. The data from this study will help to better understand vaccine performance and guide future vaccine recommendations, should additional monkeypox outbreaks emerge. »
“The strong mobilization of the communities that RÉZO serves following our information messages on monkeypox and vaccination has undoubtedly limited the transmission of the virus in Quebec”, adds the general manager of the RÉZO organization, Alexandre Dumont. Blais. “RÉZO’s contribution is an example of the important role of community organizations in supporting public health. The study will allow us to provide up-to-date information to our communities on the effectiveness of the vaccine. We regularly received questions on this subject during the outbreak. »
A monkeypox epidemic affected many countries in 2022. In Canada, Montreal was among the worst affected cities at the start of the outbreak. A total of 525 cases have been identified in Quebec (data as of January 20, 2023). People considered at risk of contracting monkeypox can still receive the Imvamune vaccine.MD.
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