Date of publication: June 15, 2022 • 51 minutes ago • 3 minutes reading • Join the discussion Although he was vaccinated against smallpox when he was young, a friend persuaded Raymond Boudreau to be extra careful and get vaccinated against monkeypox on Wednesday. Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
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Raymond Boudreau heard about Santé Montréal smallpox vaccination clinic from a friend who had heard it from his hairdresser on Wednesday afternoon.
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“The hairdresser said they had vaccinations here. “We did not even know it,” Boudreau said of the clinic on the Avenue de Maisonneuve. E., on the edge of Gay Village. Boudreau’s friend persuaded him to get vaccinated as well. “He told me it was worth it,” said the 70-year-old. I said, ‘I do not know.’ I had already been vaccinated against smallpox when I was younger. “He told me it would be even safer to get vaccinated (again), so here I am.” Montreal is the epicenter of the smallpox virus in North America, with 126 confirmed cases on Tuesday, representing 7.9% of the World Health Organization’s 1,600 confirmed cases in 39 countries so far this year. All cases in Montreal so far are among men, although the WHO has said that the high number of cases in this group may be, as before, the product of “positive health-seeking behavior in this demographic”.
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The behavior came on Wednesday as several Montreal residents responded to a call for a vaccination campaign from municipal and county health authorities targeting “men who plan or have sex with men.” Pierre (who chose not to give his real name), 55, looked sad as he left the clinic in a green uniform. He did not worry too much about catching the monkey pox, but he was vaccinated just to be safe. “I’m not really the guy who goes to clubs and I have occasional meetings,” he said, “but if the occasion ever arises – it’s more for him (for the reason I came). Kyle, 32, knows friends of friends who have been infected with the virus. “It did not seem like a good experience for them,” he said, “and from everything I read, (the vaccine) is safe and effective, so I thought I would take it.”
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Leaving the clinic, he felt good about his decision and prepared for what the coming months might hold. “I definitely feel more protected for the summer season,” he said. “We will have a lot of young people coming to town, everyone will be very confused, so it is nice to be protected at this level.” The virus appears to be transmitted through close, prolonged physical contact, Quebec says. The disease can be transmitted five days before the onset of symptoms and until all lesions have a crust. Danny Lapierre, 52, was vaccinated because “I have contact with a lot of people in the gay community, so there is a potential risk,” he said. “And I have a stronger reaction to STDs (sexually transmitted infections) – I know there is no connection, but I did not want to be too sick.”
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He was not sure he felt safer when he was vaccinated, but he knew he had done the right thing. “I did what I had to do, voilà,” he said, adding that he had been pierced “to avoid spreading, for me, and not to spread it as well.” I’m a good soldier. You tell me to do it and I leave. “ Michael (not his real name), 56, was vaccinated not out of immediate concern but out of caution. “Cases are still very low,” he said, “but it could spread so that we are ready in case it happens.” Asked if the threat of monkey pox changed human behavior, he said it was “restrictive behavior, I would say.” He came after hearing about the vaccination campaign on the news on Tuesday night, and was pleased with his choice. “Obviously (the vaccine arrives) in full or almost full effect after a week,” he said. “It’s very encouraging. It’s a relief, as is the COVID vaccine. “ [email protected] twitter.com/TChaDunlevy
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