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monkeypox is now in canada: should you be worried?
the rare virus has now been identified in quebec, although the public health agency of canada has not had any cases reported.
monkeypox 'not a gay disease'
though it's not sexually-transmitted, authorities in britain are urging people who may have come into contact with the monkeypox virus to abstain from sex.
monkeypox infection starts with flu-like symptoms: fever, headache, muscle aches, and low energy. (photo by cynthia s. goldsmith/centers for disease control and /afp via getty images)
some good news: monkeypox will probably not turn into a pandemic, the world health organization (who) has announced.
the bad news, though, is that there are still a lot of unknown variables about the virus, of which there are now 26 cases in canada.
“at the moment, we are not concerned about a global pandemic,” dr. rosamund lewis, who’s head of smallpox and the world’s foremost expert on monkeypox, said on monday.
but she also said it would be “unfortunate” if monkeypox, a virus in the same family as smallpox, would “establish itself as … an infection capable of human-to-human transmission, and exploit the immunity gap left by smallpox 40 years ago.” who is “very keen,” she said, “upon the history of smallpox eradication, to also stop this outbreak as soon as possible.”
‘this is not a gay disease’
the general risk to the population seems to be relatively low, lewis said. but while the virus is so far most prevalent in men who have sex with men, it’s important to note that anyone is susceptible.
“this is not a gay disease, as some people in social media have attempted to label it,” dr. andy seale, who’s strategies advisor for global hiv, hepatitis & sti programmes, said in a q&a on may 23. “anybody can contract monkeypox through close contact.”
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experts think the disease is most likely spread through infected lesions, which a person with monkeypox may unknowingly transmit to someone else during sex, rather than through the exchange of bodily fluids itself. people may not even realize they have these lesions, lewis said, especially if they are in the genital area and difficult to see.
“you may have these lesions for two to four weeks [and] they may not be visible to others, but you may still be infectious,” she said.
while a pandemic isn’t forecast, infections could continue if people don’t take measures to protect themselves, lewis said. “we are concerned that individuals may acquire this infection through high-risk exposure if they don’t have the information they need to protect themselves.”
in britain, where the monkeypox case count is currently highest with 179 confirmed cases, health officials recommended on tuesday that people with symptoms should abstain from sex as a precautionary measure until symptoms resolve. the guidelines advise people who think they may have the virus to “avoid contact with other people until their lesions have healed and the scabs have dried off.”
people in the u.k. who have contracted the virus have also been advised to isolate at home for up to 21 days “if necessary.”
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quebec to start offering limited vaccination
smallpox caused millions of deaths worldwide before the advent of a vaccine in the late 18th century. canada stopped vaccinating against smallpox in the 1970s because the disease had effectively been eradicated through widespread vaccination.
last week, quebec — the location of 25 of canada’s 26 confirmed monkeypox cases — announced it would start offering a smallpox vaccine to people who came into contact with the virus within the last few weeks or certain people who are otherwise considered high risk. (the smallpox vaccine is considered 85 per cent effective against monkeypox, according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention.)
“data have shown that if you give [the vaccine] within four days [of exposure], you have a very good effectiveness in preventing the illness,” dr. caroline quach, chair of quebec’s immunization committee, told a press conference. “if you administer it between day 5 and 14, it might not prevent disease, but it might modify the evolution.”
monkeypox symptoms
monkeypox infection starts with flu-like symptoms: fever, headache, muscle aches, and low energy. one distinctive symptom from the early period of infection that distinguishes monkeypox from similar illnesses like smallpox, chickenpox or measles is swelling of the lymph nodes, located on the neck, under the chin, and in the armpits and groin.
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after a few days, monkeypox will cause a rash on the face, hands and feet, which turn into lesions. they often change in size before eventually falling off. according to who, a case of monkeypox generally lasts between two and four weeks.
the disease can be fatal, but most cases are not, who reports: a 2017 outbreak in nigeria, for instance, involved more than 200 confirmed cases and more than 500 suspected cases, with a fatality rate of about three per
maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing. you can reach her at mkappler@postmedia.com
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