The chief medical officer of health told reporters during a press conference on Saturday that cases of monkeypox in the province remain low – so far only three have been confirmed. But Dr. Saqib Shahab says if people meet the risk criteria and have concerns, they should call the province’s 811 Health Line for advice on testing, as well as getting a pre-exposure vaccination. New Brunswick reports its first confirmed case of monkeypox virus Ontario’s current smallpox vaccination strategy is working, says the province’s top doctor Explained: Monkeypox Outbreak Explained: Symptoms, Vaccines, Spread & More The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued a press release saying the warning about monkeypox transmission through anonymous sex is due to recent known cases. Adds information related to public health, related to travel within and outside the province, caused the alert. Shahab says Saskatchewan wants to do what it can to prevent cases from rising. “I think with the travel interactions across Canada in the summer, I think that risk would change for us in Saskatchewan, and that’s why we’re now really opening up the vaccine, not just for post-exposure prophylaxis, but for pre-exposure as well, for the very targeted group we have identified,” Shahab told the press conference. “Obviously we don’t want to overtest, but in the right context, I think it’s important to look for testing, precisely because we don’t want to miss cases.” So far, he said there have been no cases in Saskatchewan where no history of exposure has been identified. Additional vaccine doses have been ordered now that the province has expanded eligibility, he noted. Monkeypox, which comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, has been endemic in parts of central and western Africa for decades and was not known to have sparked major outbreaks beyond the continent until May. It causes fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and lethargy, followed by the development of a rash over a person’s body. It is spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, contact with body fluids or injuries of a person who is sick with the disease, or exposure to contaminated items such as bedding or clothing. Public Health Canada says the majority of domestic cases are among men who reported having intimate sex with other men. Having multiple sex partners can increase the overall risk, but the agency says the risk of exposure is not exclusive to any group or setting. The number of Canadian monkeypox cases topped 1,000 just this week, although there are early signs the virus may now be spreading at a slower rate. This content appears as provided to The Globe by the original wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.
