Quebec approaches 300 cases of monkeypox

Quebec is approaching the bar of 300 cases of monkeypox. More than 280 infections have now been identified in Quebec. This is an increase of more than thirty infections over the past five days.

Posted at 1:43 p.m.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“As of July 11, in Quebec, 284 cases have been declared and 10,832 doses of vaccine have been administered since May 27,” the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) announced on its Twitter account on Tuesday. by sharing his weekly update on the progress of the disease.

In Quebec, since mid-June, vaccination against monkeypox is no longer limited to Montreal, but in several regions. The list of vaccination centers is also available on the Quebec government website and on the Clic Santé portal. The vaccine is offered to anyone who has had skin-to-skin contact with an infected person in the past 14 days and to men who have had sexual contact with two or more male partners in the past two weeks.

Most recently, on Tuesday, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr.r Kieran Moore said the province is not seeing a rapid increase in monkeypox cases, and its vaccination strategy appears to be working. Even so, he said, monkeypox would likely be present for “many, many months” due to its long incubation period of up to 21 days.

In late June, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr.D Theresa Tam, had previously indicated that negotiations were underway to obtain more monkeypox vaccines to reduce outbreaks.

Immunosuppressed people more vulnerable

Remember that as a general rule, monkeypox can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, but also during close physical contact with an infected person, their clothes or their sheets.

While in most cases the disease heals on its own in two to four weeks, life-threatening complications can occur in about 1% of cases, particularly affecting immunosuppressed people.

Fever, night sweats, headaches, swollen glands and muscle aches are the main warning signs of the disease. People with these symptoms are advised to promptly see a healthcare professional for an evaluation, wear a mask and cover the lesions.

With Frédérik-Xavier Duhamel, La Presse


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