As the monkeypox virus continues to spread across the globe, health officials have confirmed cases of the rare virus in four Canadian provinces.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a viral relative of smallpox. It is typically limited to Africa, and rare cases in the U.S. and elsewhere are usually linked to travel there.
The name of the illness originates from its 1958 discovery by scientists who observed two outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in research monkeys.
The disease is zoonotic, meaning it’s caused by germs that spread between animals and people. The first known human infection was documented in 1970 in a nine-year-old boy in a remote part of Congo.
What’s the current situation?
Since May, over 700 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in non-endemic countries, with the lion’s share in Europe. In Canada and the U.S., infections caused by a West African clade, which tends to cause mild disease, have also been diagnosed.
“While most, but not all, recent global infections are among young men who identify as men who have sex with other men, the virus can affect anyone through close person-to-person contact,” noes the BCCDC.
How does monkeypox spread?
Monkeypox is spread from person to person through contact with sores and items like bedding or towels that have the virus on them. It can also spread through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes during prolonged close, face-to-face contact with a person who has monkeypox. While the virus is not known to transmit through semen, vaginal or rectal fluids, it does spread through close contact during sexual activity.
In Africa, people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, and it does not usually spread easily among people.
What are the monkeypox symptoms?
It typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body. According to the BCCDC, symptoms appear in two stages and may last for two to four weeks.
In the first stage, the following symptoms may appear:
Fever
Chills
Intense headache
Swollen lymph nodes
Back pain
Muscle pain
Fatigue or exhaustion
Other less common symptoms can include sore throat, cough, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea
Approximately one to five days after the first stage, the second stage begins. Symptoms may include:
A rash that often starts on the face or legs and arms, and can affect other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, mouth and genitals.
Monkeypox sores usually last between 2 to 3 weeks. The sores change in appearance over time from raised spots to small blisters filled with fluid. They eventually form a scab and fall off.
“The rash tends to be more concentrated on the face and extremities rather than on the trunk. It affects the face (in 95% of cases), and palms of the hands and soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). Also affected are oral mucous membranes (in 70% of cases), genitalia (30%), and conjunctivae (20%), as well as the cornea,” notes the World Health Organization (WHO).
What do I do if I’ve been exposed?
If you have been exposed to the virus, monitor for symptoms. Symptoms can present from five to 21 days after exposure. If you develop symptoms, visit a health care professional. Wear a mask and cover the lesions, and inform the clinic ahead of time of the reason for your visit.
During this period you must limit close contact with others, including sexual contact.
What happens if I become ill with monkeypox?
If you believe you have contracted the monkeypox virus, contact your doctor. Inform them if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has the virus.
Until you see your healthcare provider, stay at home and self-isolate. If possible, stay away from people you live with and don’t share towels, clothing, or linens. See if other members of your household, family, or friends can look after any pets so you do not spread monkeypox to animals.
Public Health will contact you if you test positive for the virus and provide you with instructions for the next steps.
Monkeypox is usually a mild illness and most people recover on their own after a few weeks, notes the BCCDC. While there are no well-established treatments for the virus, “antiviral medication may be considered on a case-by-case basis.”
Monkeypox prevention and vaccination
Canada has a limited amount of Imvamune™ — a vaccine that provides protection against the monkeypox virus. It is not currently available for the general public, however.
“It can be used to manage [the] spread of monkeypox and prevent serious illness in people who have been exposed,” explains the BCCDC, noting that it does not benefit someone who is already infected.
The risk of monkeypox to the general public is very low, advises the BCCDC. There is no need for the general public to get vaccinated.
VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.
The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.
Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
