More than 13,000 people have received the monkeypox vaccine in the Montreal area, representing about half of the target population, according to Montreal’s regional public health director, Dr. Mylène Drouin.
A few days before Montreal Pride, which begins Monday, Dr. Drouin delivered a plea on Thursday in favor of vaccination for those most at risk, to prevent contamination. “Go get the vaccination,” she recommends. We have 13,250 people already vaccinated. Our target is to reach 25,000 people in the targeted groups. »
In Montreal, contamination has remained confined to men and trans people who have sex with other men, said Dr. Drouin. It is therefore among these people that public health is conducting a targeted vaccination campaign. “At the moment, in Montreal, there is no community contamination in other groups of the population. »
With 40,000 doses of vaccines received in Quebec, she estimates that the province has the leeway to vaccinate the targeted population, she said. “The more proactive we are with vaccination, the less likely we are to need to expand vaccination criteria. »
299 cases have been reported in the Montreal region, six of which required hospitalization. In Quebec, the number of cases reached 346, for a total of 745 cases in Canada.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern regarding this disease last weekend.
No abstinence recommendations
On Wednesday, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, urged Canadians — especially men who have sex with men — to adopt “safer sex” practices to help curb the spread of monkeypox in the country.
When questioned on the subject, Dr. Drouin, for her part, preferred to emphasize the importance of vaccination. “I don’t necessarily think we’re going to be able to control the outbreak just with a message related to certain behaviors,” she said.
“If my objective is to control an outbreak of this magnitude, I believe that my tool, which is the vaccine, is much more effective and that is why my main message today is to bring the community to pick it up. »
An approach that meets the needs of the gay community, believes Alexandre Dumont Blais, executive director of RÉZO, a community organization that provides health information to gay and bisexual men.
“We should be careful that institutions do not tell LGBTQ + people what to do,” he warns. You have to remember the past. I think we have to mark out between personal accountability and that the people with the information can make an informed decision about their behavior. Vaccination is the main tool. »