Saskatchewan’s health care delivery agency is warning that there is a high risk of acquiring monkeypox through anonymous sexual contact and is expanding vaccination eligibility to adults 18 and older who have close contacts or who are considered a higher risk of exposure.
The medical director of health told reporters during a press conference on Saturday that monkeypox cases in the province remain low; so far only three have been confirmed.
But Dr. Saqib Shahab says if people meet the risk criteria and have concerns, they should call the province’s 811 HealthLine for advice on testing, as well as getting a pre-exposure vaccination.
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The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued a press release saying the warning about catching monkeypox through anonymous sexual contact is due to recently known cases.
Additional information reported to public health, related to travel in and out of the province, has prompted the alert.
Shahab says Saskatchewan wants to do everything it can to prevent an increase in cases.
“I think with the travel interactions across Canada in the summer, I think that risk was bound to change for us in Saskatchewan and that’s why we’re now really opening up the vaccine, not just for post-exposure prophylaxis , but for pre-exposure as well, for the very target group that we have identified,” Shahab said at the press conference.
“Obviously we don’t want over-testing to happen, but in the right context, I think it’s important to look for evidence, exactly for the reason that we don’t want to miss cases.”
So far, he said, there have been no cases in Saskatchewan where a history of exposure has not been identified. Additional vaccine doses have been ordered now that the province has expanded eligibility, he noted.
Monkeypox, which comes from the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, has been endemic in parts of central and western Africa for decades and was not known to trigger large outbreaks beyond the continent until May.
It causes fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and lethargy, followed by the development of a rash over a person’s body. It is spread by close, personal contact, often skin-to-skin, by touching body fluids or injuries of a person with the disease, or exposure to contaminated objects such as bedding or clothing.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says most domestic cases are among men who reported intimate sexual contact with other men. Having multiple sex partners may increase overall risk, but the agency says the risk of exposure is not unique to any group or setting.
The number of Canadian smallpox cases topped 1,000 this week alone, although there are early signs that the virus may now be spreading at a slower pace.
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