Montreal monkeypox cases levelling off, officials concerned by rises elsewhere
Global News
Quebec has described the monkeypox outbreak in the province as "relatively contained," with 331 cases as of last week and no hospitalizations.
Monkeypox cases in Montreal appear to be hitting a plateau, but authorities say they’re worried that soaring infections in the United States and a low vaccination rate could help the disease surge anew in the city.
Dr. Geneviève Bergeron of Montreal public health says that while the situation in the city has stabilized in recent weeks, she fears the busy tourist and travel season could compromise efforts to contain the disease.
“We’re concerned we might see an increase over the coming weeks because of travel and how connected we are with different countries, so we are being quite vigilant with the progress pattern that we see right now,” she said Monday in an interview.
Last month, public health officials described Montreal as the epicentre of the monkeypox outbreak in North America and expanded vaccination against the disease to all men who have sex with men.
Bergeron said that getting an early start to vaccination was helpful in the efforts to control the disease, but the city “still has a lot of work to do” when it comes to promoting vaccination.
She said that only between a third and half of those eligible to be vaccinated have received a shot. Demand for the vaccine has slowed somewhat, she said, although there has been an uptick since the World Health Organization declared the disease a global emergency on Saturday.
The provincial government has described the monkeypox outbreak in the province as “relatively contained,” with 331 cases as of last week and no hospitalizations. More than 13,000 people have been vaccinated.
In contrast, the Public Health Agency of Canada says cases across the country have continued to rise, to a total of 681. “Since July 1, we have also seen a doubling of cases to date, the first case in a female, and the first cases in Saskatchewan,” the agency wrote on Saturday.
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