Canada currently has 112 confirmed cases of monkeypox, the overwhelming majority of which, 98, are in Quebec.
The Chief Public Health Officer of Canada and her deputy, Doctors Theresa Tam and Howard Njoo, provided an update on the outbreak of this virus on Friday in Ottawa.
In all cases they are men aged 20 to 63 and the majority of them have had sexual relations with other men. Dr. Tam, however, recalled that the entire population can be affected by this virus.
The other cases identified are nine in Ontario, four in Alberta and one in British Columbia. The national microbiology laboratory is also looking into other suspected cases and the two doctors said they expected more cases to be confirmed in the coming days.
National public health, however, believes that no mass vaccination campaign is required at this time. The new recommendations surrounding the administration of the IMVAMUNE vaccine suggest that a single dose be administered only to people at high risk of exposure to the virus and to those in settings where the risk of transmission is high.
The two doctors also indicated that the Canadian cases are all linked to the international outbreak that is currently affecting other countries around the world.
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