Many people at risk never got their 2nd mpox vaccine dose, public health agencies say
CTV
Public health agencies are encouraging people who received a first dose of mpox vaccine over the last two years to make sure they get a second dose.
Public health agencies are encouraging people who received a first dose of mpox vaccine over the last two years to make sure they get a second dose.
Many people at risk for mpox exposure got vaccinated in Canada beginning in spring 2022, when a global outbreak of the virus was declared, Canada's chief public health officer said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
But a lot of them never got a second dose, which is recommended at least 28 days after the first shot.
”Please get that second dose in order to have the strongest immunity,” said Dr. Theresa Tam.
The number of mpox cases dropped in 2023 but appear to be on the rise again in parts of Canada. As of Aug. 24, there have been 166 confirmed cases in Ontario this year, compared to only 33 cases last year, according to data posted online by Public Health Ontario.
Only 36 per cent of people who got one dose of the mpox vaccine, Imvamune, in Ontario got a second dose, the agency said.
The majority of the province's cases — 83 per cent — have been in Toronto this year, it said.
