The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) says no cases of the more dangerous variant of the mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, have been detected in the province so far.
The variant, clade 1b, which has an estimated 3.6% fatality rate, is causing a runaway epidemic in some African countries. It has led the World Health Organization to trigger its highest level of global alert.
More than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have been recorded on the African continent this year, an increase of 160% compared to 2023.
However, the BCCDC says the risk of transmission of the mpox virus remains low in British Columbia for now. In 2022, Canada, like other countries, experienced an outbreak of a less deadly variant of the virus, clade 2, but the infection rate has declined, thanks in part to a vaccination campaign.
The BCCDC strongly recommends that eligible individuals get vaccinated.
Currently, the vaccine is only available to gay and bisexual men, and two-spirit and trans people who have sex with men. According to the BCCDC, the 2022 outbreak in the province has spread primarily through the sexual networks of gay and bisexual men.
Kiffer Card, an assistant professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University, says the WHO’s declaration of a state of emergency is primarily about mobilizing resources and making vaccines available in Africa, and that people should be cautious but not panic.
He adds that because transmission can be controlled by limiting physical contact, MPOX differs from COVID-19 which is transmitted through aerosols.
In Canada, as of August 12, 164 cases of mpox have been reported since the beginning of the year. British Columbia had recorded 21 cases in July.
With information from Anaïs Elboujdaïni
