Monkeypox cases reach 16 in Ottawa; more than 1,000 vaccinated

.

Sixteen cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the national capital, while the Ottawa Department of Public Health said on Tuesday it had administered 1,089 doses of the protective Imvamune vaccine earlier this week.

.

Public Health Ontario reported the Ottawa area total as of Monday between 230 confirmed cases and eight probable cases provincewide.

A week earlier, PHO reported a total of 156 confirmed cases and eight suspected cases across the province and 11 in the Ottawa Public Health catchment area.

As of Monday, one confirmed case had been reported in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit catchment area, plus three in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit.

Nearly three-quarters of Ontario’s confirmed cases are in Toronto, and all but one of the patients are men, Public Health Ontario said. The ages of confirmed patients ranged from 20 to 66 years, and the most common symptoms include rash, oral or genital lesions, swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, chills, muscle pain and tiredness.

.

Nine patients have been hospitalized, one in intensive care, but no deaths have been reported, the provincial agency said.

Ottawa Public Health is keeping track of anyone who tests positive and their close contacts, according to a Tuesday statement attributed to Marie-Claude Turcotte, director of health promotion and director of nursing.

OPH has been offering the vaccination to those who have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive, known as post-exposure prophylaxis. It is also working with community organizations to administer vaccines to people at higher risk for monkeypox, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis.

“We are working closely with our partners to share information with the most affected communities,” Turcotte’s statement said. “We encourage all eligible individuals to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

.

People can find out if they are eligible for the vaccine, and how to get it, at a dedicated web page.

OPH is working with community organizations to offer more clinics, monitor if more capacity is needed, and reach people through digital ads on mobile apps.

Monkeypox, which belongs to the same family as smallpox, had rarely been seen outside of Africa, where it is endemic, until this year, when cases began to spread in many parts of the world.

Health officials say monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease and can spread through close contact. While most cases to date have been among men who have had sex with men, anyone can get monkeypox, Public Health Ontario said.

With files from Elizabeth Payne