Monkeypox vaccine for pre-exposure use expected in Guelph next week

Should we concerned about monkeypox? Dr. Nicola Mercer talks with CTV's Leighanne Evans about the monkeypox virus, including the symptoms, risks and vaccines.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) says it expects the monkeypox vaccine to be available for pre-exposure use in Guelph beginning next week.

In an email to CTV News, the public health unit says it will be distributing the available vaccines based on the Ontario Ministry of Health’s guidelines.

Those guidelines say as vaccine supply is currently limited. the province will be targeting vaccination to people who self-identify as men who have sex with men in areas with at least one confirmed case.

Those who are part of this community will also have to attest to at least one of the following potential exposures found here.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph already has a vaccine available for post-exposure use. In these scenarios, WDGPH reaches out to eligible contacts to invite them to receive the vaccine.

As of July 4, the region has only one confirmed case of monkeypox.

Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health for WDGPH, has said that most cases generally recover at home. The public health unit says it monitors those cases and checks in with them on multiple occasions while their case resolves.

This can take several weeks.

The Health Canada approved vaccine, Imvamune, is used for the protection against monkeypox.

According to Health Canada, Imvamune contains a weaker strain of the virus and is approved in Canada for protection against smallpox, monkeypox, and other orthopoxvirus-related illness.