Contact tracers are working to find the person’s close contacts, but Dr Yves Leger said the original source has not been identified, raising further concern. “There was another case that was contagious in the province at one point,” he said in an interview on Tuesday. “So Public Health is very busy monitoring this situation.” He said there is still considerable effort to identify the source.
Read more: New Brunswick confirms first case of monkeypox in province
Monkeypox is a viral infectious disease related to smallpox, from which most people recover on their own after a few weeks, but people can become very sick and die in some cases, according to Public Health. Story continues below ad But as monkeypox reaches the province, there is a limited supply of vaccines available in New Brunswick, which were administered on a per capita basis, Leger explained. There are 140 doses in New Brunswick and exactly the same number of doses in Prince Edward Island. Leger said the federal government has been able to obtain more vaccines and New Brunswick hopes to be able to secure more of those doses soon. The monkeypox outbreak, to date, has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, but Public Health in New Brunswick and others across Canada have been clear that anyone can contract monkeypox. “We know and are sensitive to the fact that there is potential stigma surrounding this infection and outbreak,” Leger said. 1:51 New Brunswick confirms its first case of Monkeypox New Brunswick confirms its first case of Monkeypox Mike Minard, who is in the group most at risk from the virus, said he has been unable to access a vaccine in New Brunswick, adding to a long list of problems with accessible health care for the LGBTQ2 community in the province. Story continues below ad “It’s really, you know, scary in a lot of ways,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “I think it’s also a little frustrating when there’s a clear solution and something that can be done from a public health standpoint that maybe isn’t being done today to protect us, protect our friends, protect our neighbors and really protect them people in the countryside.” In New Brunswick, those eligible for the vaccine are those who have been in close contact with a positive case. Minard does not qualify. He said he and his partner have seriously considered traveling to Quebec to get it, where access is wider. In Quebec, 456 cases have been reported. It is the second highest number in the country.
Read more: Federal government announces $500,000 for monkeypox initiatives in BC and Alberta
For Minard, the lack of access to vaccination as a protective measure is troubling. “The fire is just starting, you know, it’s starting to smolder in the forest and we can put out the fire with a bucket of water,” he said, talking about the benefits of vaccination as a preventive measure. It is also the stigma that weighs on Minard. Story continues below ad “Monkey pox is not a gay disease,” he said. “It’s not something that only affects the gay community. He happens to be in this community now. So we have to look out for that and make sure people know about it.” However, as Minard waits for New Brunswick to expand vaccine eligibility, a trip to Montreal before that decision is not out of the question.
