Montreal Public Health announced Tuesday that there are now 132 confirmed cases of the virus in Quebec, including 126 in Montreal. Montreal Director of Public Health Dr. Mylène Drouin gave a briefing to the media on Tuesday afternoon along with Quebec’s interim director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, who said that the development in Quebec was “slow” but every few days more cases are detected. So far, public health officials have adopted a “ring approach” to monkeypox vaccination – offering the vaccine to close contacts with people with confirmed infections. Dr Drouin said on Tuesday that with more people visiting the city for the festival season, the city hopes to reduce the spread of the disease, which has so far been found entirely in men who have sex with other men. From now on, public health will take a more proactive approach, offering doses to all people who may be at higher risk as “an additional measure we take to control the epidemic,” Drouin said. “If you’re looking for a holiday or a holiday in Montreal in a context where sex with other men is possible, this is really the addition we make today in the context of [vaccination] campaign.” In the coming days, people will be able to get vaccinated at a clinic or make an appointment by visiting the government booking portal, Clic Santé. Additional vaccination sites are expected to be added to the Montreal area. “I do not know if we will be able to have zero cases, but of course we believe we can at least manage the current epidemic and minimize the number of new cases,” Drouin said. So far, three people who tested positive for smallpox in Quebec have been hospitalized but have since been released, according to Boileau. No one is currently being treated for the disease, which has mild symptoms in the vast majority of cases. Monkey pox is a rare disease that is transmitted through prolonged, close contact with another person through airborne droplets, skin-to-skin contact, and body fluids. It comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox and is known to cause skin damage. The Ministry of Health began offering the smallpox vaccine on May 27th. So far, more than 3,000 doses have been given, Boileau said on Tuesday.
