Canadians should practice safe sex, limit partners to curb monkeypox spread: Tam
Global News
Dr. Theresa Tam says Canadians --especially men who have sex with men-- should practice safe sex and reduce the number of partners.
Men who have sex with men should practise safe sex and reduce their number of partners to limit the spread of monkeypox in Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam advised Wednesday.
The World Health Organization declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern over the weekend.
Tam, the chief public health officer, said there are 745 confirmed cases of the monkeypox reported in Canada and 99 per cent of those affected are men with a median age of 36.
Less than one per cent of national cases involve women or people under the age of 20.
Monkeypox is circulating among men who have intimate contact with other men, Tam said, and while anyone can be infected, targeted public health measures for gay and bisexual men are needed.
“Learning from the HIV pandemic is very important, which is why engaging communities who are most impacted right at the start to together find solutions will be our best weapon against the spread of this virus,” Tam said at a virtual press briefing.
Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada has been working with trusted groups to support men who have sex with men, and make sure they have information about how to protect themselves from the disease.
“We’ve also been working with apps, Grindr and others, to make sure people get the messaging in order to link them to the right information, and also access the vaccine and know what to do if they think they may have monkeypox,” she said.
