Four cases of monkeypox have been confirmed on Vancouver Island — among 61 across the province — and contact tracing and a targeted vaccination program are underway, the province said Friday.
Island Health said three of the individuals affected are from the south Island and one is from the central Island.
The viral illness — which starts with flu-like symptoms and produces skin sores and blisters — was first confirmed on the Island July 8.
Island Health started a targeted vaccination campaign two weeks ago for those at highest risk of acquiring and spreading monkeypox: men 18 and older who have sex with other men.
Vaccinations are available in Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtenay, and so far, Island Health has administered about 500 doses, said medical health officer Dr. Mike Benusic.
An additional 400 doses were received this week for distribution across the Island.
The 61 confirmed cases of monkeypox in B.C. include 54 in the Vancouver Coastal health region and three in Fraser Health.
Public health authorities are following up via contact tracing with those who have been exposed, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Health Canada maintains a limited stockpile of the smallpox vaccine Imvamune, which is also effective against monkeypox.
To date, B.C. has received 14,480 doses of vaccine for outbreak control, including post-exposure shots. The province said vaccines are ordered weekly and all doses are distributed to health authorities.
As of Monday, 7,200 doses had been administered in B.C.
Vaccines have so far been a priority for the Lower Mainland, where most of the infections have occurred.
Canada has 803 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the Public Health Agency, including 367 in Ontario and 359 in Quebec.
In a briefing this week, Canada’s chief medical officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, advised men who have sex with men to practise safe sex and reduce their number of partners to limit the spread of the virus.
“Learning from the HIV pandemic is very important, which is why engaging communities who are most impacted right at the start to together find solutions will be our best weapon against the spread of this virus,” Tam said.
There has been some criticism of public-health messaging targeting men who have sex with men, however, with some saying the emphasis should be on vaccination.
“We have to understand that monkeypox, it’s not a sexually transmitted disease,” said Dr. Mylene Drouin, Montreal’s public health director.
B.C.’s Health Ministry said in its Friday update the monkeypox virus does not spread easily from person to person.
“All identified local transmission has involved prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which is suspected to be the primary way the virus is spread,” the ministry said.
• For more information about getting the monkeypox vaccine in the Island Health region, go to: islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/diseases-conditions/monkeypox.
dkloster@timescolonist.com
— with files from The Canadian Press
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