PEI ready to deal with monkeypox, Chief Public Health Officer says | SaltWire

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI — There have not yet been any confirmed cases of monkeypox virus in PEI, but the province is poised with vaccines and treatments if needed, the province’s chief public health officer said.

dr Heather Morrison, who spoke to SaltWire Network on Sept. 7 about the virus, said testing through health care providers is available and ongoing.

“The majority of cases in Canada report intimate sexual contact with men who have sex with men,” Morrison said. “It can be spread if you have contact, including sexual contact, with others who have the virus.”

Monkeypox is a viral disease transmitted to humans through direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions of infected individuals. It can also be spread via respiratory droplets from an infected person, Morrison said.

The other three Atlantic provinces have each reported cases of the virus. Newfoundland and Labrador reported on July 28 that a 22-year-old man contracted the disease while traveling within Canada. On August 12, New Brunswick reported its first case of monkeypox in a person who had not traveled outside of the province. Nova Scotia saw its first case of the virus in a person who had traveled outside of the province.

Cases of monkeypox have increased exponentially since Jan. 1 in countries where it was not endemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

On July 23, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, declared the outbreak of monkeypox in several countries to be a public health emergency of international concern. Expulsion can facilitate coordination and collaboration in global solidarity to stop transmission to vulnerable groups.

“Since the outbreak began spreading in early May 2022, WHO has taken this extraordinary situation very seriously, swiftly issuing public health and clinical guidance, actively engaging with communities, and bringing together hundreds of scientists and researchers to advance research and development.” monkeypox and the potential for the development of new diagnostics, vaccines and treatments,” the WHO press release said.

treatment possible

Morrison said the province has a stockpile of Tpoxx antiviral treatment for anyone who falls ill with the virus. PEI also has a limited stock of Imvamune vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis for anyone identified as a close contact of a positive case. The vaccine is given in two doses 28 days apart.

Imvamune is also available as pre-exposure prophylaxis at the same two-dose interval of 28 days through the public health service.

“Individuals traveling to areas where monkeypox is circulating and planning activities that could increase their exposure to monkeypox might consider pre-exposure prophylaxis,” Morrison said, adding that public health has already administered 40 vaccinations.

“Anyone who feels they are at risk can get the vaccine through public health,” Morrison said. “If people want to speak to public health care about whether they may be at risk, (public health workers will) talk to them and give them a pre-vaccination if needed.”

Based on the numbers

Here are the September 2 monkeypox statistics:

• Globally, as of September 2, there have been more than 52,000 cases of monkeypox in a large number of countries.
• Canada has seen 1,289 confirmed cases of monkeypox, mostly in Quebec and Ontario, but there have been cases as close as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
• In Canada, 35 people have been hospitalized for monkeypox.

The health department has sent information to health care providers in the province. The federal government sent information to post-secondary institutions ahead of classes resuming, and Morrison said her office rebroadcast some of the key information.

“We have also been working with our community groups to share information with affected groups,” Morrison said.

The WHO said the stigmatization of people with monkeypox was unacceptable.

“We have seen discrimination and messages stigmatizing certain groups of people in connection with this monkeypox outbreak. We want to make it very clear that this is not correct. This response to the outbreak should be conducted with full respect for established principles of human rights, inclusion and the dignity of all individuals and communities,” the organization said in a statement.

Alison Jenkins is a health reporter at the SaltWire Network in Prince Edward Island. She can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @ReporterAlison.