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July 25, 2022 1:41 p.m.
Updated at 4:48 p.m.
Monkey pox in Quebec: a prevention discourse to be reviewed, according to Dr. Réjean Thomas
FREDERIC LACROIX-COUTURE
The Canadian Press
MORGAN LOWRIE
The Canadian Press
The discourse around monkeypox should take on a different tone to encourage vaccination and raise awareness of the severe symptoms caused by the disease, believes the president and founder of the L'Actuel clinic, Dr. Réjean Thomas.
Of the 331 cases reported in Quebec as of July 19, the Montreal clinic has so far received around 100 patients infected with monkeypox, said Dr. Thomas.
He says he is “very surprised” at the number of his sexually active patients who are still not vaccinated against this virus.
“We said a lot at the beginning that the disease was mild. Indeed, it is not a fatal disease (the mortality rate is 1%). But the cases we see are quite serious; large ulcers in the mouth, on the tongue, chin, genitals. People are very suffering. (...) Some had complications and were isolated.
“We should perhaps redo our prevention campaign a little and say that it is not so banal” without being alarmist, continues the doctor.
A study published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine painting a broad picture of the characteristics of the monkeypox epidemic around the world, notes varying degrees of symptoms.
Some have very few or no symptoms at all, but can be a source of transmission of the virus, while others suffer a lot with lesions that can limit their daily activities, explains one of the co-authors of the article. , Dr. Marina Klein of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.
"We don't understand why some people are going to have a more serious situation than others. Is it the exposure, is it their immune system? There are a lot of research questions that are being asked right now,” says the scientist.
Dr Thomas and Dr Klein believe that the World Health Organization (WHO) raising its highest level of alert for monkeypox on Saturday is a message for governments to take the disease seriously and invest to support research, prevention and vaccination.
A treatment for the disease is not yet available and questions remain surrounding the administration of a second dose of the vaccine, evoke the two experts.
Efforts to continue
More than 13,000 people have been vaccinated against monkeypox in Quebec as of last week. An insufficient number in the eyes of Dr. Thomas.
The vaccine is currently offered in Montreal to all men who have had sex with men as well as those who have been exposed to the disease.
The Montreal Regional Public Health Department (DRSP) estimates that it has reached about half of its vaccination goal. She wants to better promote the monkeypox vaccine to eligible people.
The RÉZO organization, which recently obtained an envelope of $150,000 from the federal government, intends to step up its awareness-raising efforts to reach different clienteles.
“We are thinking about having other strategies. (…) We will surely advertise on mobile dating applications, tour the various establishments perhaps a little more upstream and during the Montreal Pride festivities”, explains Alexandre Dumont Blais, the general manager. community organization that provides health information to gay and bisexual men.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services said Monday that the epidemic is still considered to be "contained" in Quebec.
In Montreal, there has been a plateau in the number of cases reported in recent weeks, but the trend could return to an upward trend, warns the medical officer, health emergencies and infectious diseases at the DRSP.
“We are fearful that the rapid increase in cases in other countries, including the United States, will cause us to possibly see an increase in the coming weeks, as our communities are interconnected,” says Dr. Geneviève Bergeron.
Vigilance will be required during the Montreal Pride rallies and the 24th International AIDS Conference, when many tourists will arrive in the Quebec metropolis.
"We ask people to be careful, to get vaccinated, maybe to reduce sexual contact too," advises Dr. Thomas.
https://www.lesoleil.com/2022/07/25/...f8f6badb06feba
