Quebec starts vaccine campaign against monkeypox

Quebec has started its vaccine campaign against monkeypox, immunizing those who have been in close contact with the disease.

The province's interim public health director, Dr. Luc Boileau, said that the province now has 25 confirmed cases, with 30 suspected cases under investigation.

Boileau said on Thursday that the province has received shipments of smallpox vaccine and that it will be distributed to those who have been in contact with monkeypox.

The chair of Quebec's immunization committee, Dr. Caroline Quach, says that the smallpox vaccine has shown to be effective against the monkeypox disease, so long as it's administered within four days of exposure. Severity of the disease is also reduced up to 14 days after.

Health officials say that the virus spreads through direct contact with an infected person's spit or other bodily fluids, as well as contact with sores. It is not considered very contagious in social settings. It is typically milder than smallpox, though it causes similar symptoms, including lesions across the body.

CP24 reports that the majority of the cases have been in adult men who have had sex with people who have the disease.

It is still unknown as to where most cases of the virus have originated.

"Not many of these individuals are connected to travel to Africa where the disease is normally seen, so this is unusual. It's unusual for the world to see this many cases reported in different countries outside of Africa," said Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, on Friday.