A month almost to the day following the Ministry of Health and Social Services officially announced the end of the outbreak of monkeypox in Quebec, new cases have appeared in Montreal, reports Public Health.
In an update to its “call for vigilance”, the regional management of Public Health in Montreal reveals that “following several months without reporting new cases” in the metropolis, two laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported since 17 last March.
This infectious disease disproportionately affects men who have sex with other men. The two recently reported cases are believed to be linked to men who traveled to countries where local transmission is well documented.
In this regard, if the epidemic was considered to be over in Montreal and Quebec, the World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that it is a “public health emergency of international concern”.
According to information provided by Montreal Public Health, the two recently infected people had received at least one dose of the Imvamune preventive vaccine, which reduces the risk of contracting the disease and developing serious complications.
The virus is transmitted by direct contact of the skin or mucous membranes with the lesions of an infected person or their biological fluids. It can also be transmitted by respiratory droplets during prolonged close contact.
The main symptoms are first fever, headache, fatigue, chills, body aches and inflammation of the glands. Therefollowing, one sees the appearance of rashes on the face and elsewhere on the body. These rashes can be very painful, we warn.
More than 500 cases
Between May and October 2022, 400 probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox were diagnosed in Montreal. Across Quebec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services has counted 526 probable or confirmed cases in connection with this outbreak.
A vaccination campaign quickly deployed by Montreal Public Health in the summer of 2022 slowed the spread of monkeypox.
It is estimated that 54% of the population at risk in the territory of Montreal received a first dose of the vaccine, while 24% received a second dose.
Public Health is calling on health professionals to be vigilant in order to identify other cases and promote the preventive vaccine to the target audience.
