Monkey pox: a vaccine available tomorrow

People who have been in contact with cases of monkeypox could receive a vaccine against the virus as early as Friday.

Quebec received doses of the Imvamune vaccine, intended to fight the simian pox virus, from the federal government on Tuesday. Several hundred vaccines are available, which public health would soon be ready to administer.

“Contacts who are at high risk of a confirmed or probable case of monkeypox may be vaccinated. Ideally, fairly close after exposure, around four days,” explained Dr.^r Luc Boileau, Acting National Director of Public Health, at a press briefing.

However, the doses will only be injected into an individual under a recommendation from Public Health.

“We are not opening vaccination centers. We are not in that context. It is an aggregate of a few cases that we are trying to contain, ”supported the D^r Boileau.

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For those who have it, however, there is no cure. The disease usually resolves on its own within two to four weeks.

Prevention

So far 25 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed, but several more are still under investigation. The majority of cases are located in the Montreal region and concern men who have had homosexual relations.

“All the cases are connected to each other. It happens because there have been cases contacting another person contacting another person. But there are a lot of contacts that have been made with people without them knowing each other very well, ”explained the D^r Boileau.

Infected people are asked to isolate themselves at home and from other members of their household, as well as to wear the mask and cover their lesions.

“The isolation can be lifted once the skin lesions are going to heal, or according to the recommendations of their doctor if another diagnosis should be made,” said the D^r Boileau.

The disease is transmitted more particularly by contact with lesions, but can also be by droplet.

Its incubation period is usually five to seven days, but can be as long as 21 days.

Symptoms mainly consist of skin lesions on the mouth and genitals. These may be preceded by fever, night sweats, headaches, and joint and muscle pain.

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