A nurse prepares a syringe with the mpox vaccine for a patient at a Brooklyn vaccination site on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. Health officials are advising those who received their first dose of the mpox vaccine in the past two years to get a second dose.
Public health officials are urging everyone who received their initial mpox vaccine dose in the past two years to get their second dose. This call comes as new data shows that many at-risk individuals have not completed their vaccination series.
Mpox vaccination in Canada began in the spring of 2022, following a global outbreak. According to Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, receiving both doses of the vaccine is crucial for maximum protection. However, a significant number of individuals have not followed up with their second dose, which should be administered at least 28 days after the first.
Despite a decline in mpox cases in 2023, there has been a recent increase in some areas. In Ontario, for instance, 166 cases have been confirmed this year as of August 24, up from just 33 last year. Public Health Ontario reports that only 36% of those who received their first dose of the Imvamune vaccine have gotten their second dose. Most of these cases are occurring in Toronto, which has seen 83% of the province's cases this year.
Dr. Rita Shahin from Toronto Public Health encourages eligible residents to complete their vaccination series. The vaccine is recommended for men who have sex with men with multiple partners, those who frequent sexual venues, workers in these venues, and sex workers.
Canada has primarily dealt with mpox clade II, which spreads through close contact and shared personal items. Though Montreal experienced a high number of cases in 2022, the city has not seen the same rise in cases this year. By August 14, 2024, 18,349 people in Montreal had received their first dose, but only about half had received the second.
The World Health Organization recently declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, partly due to the emergence of a different strain, clade I, in Congo. No cases of clade I have been detected in Canada so far.
The delay in second doses for some individuals may be attributed to initial vaccine rollout issues. Dr. Darrell Tan of St. Michael's Hospital explains that vaccine promotion was inadequate in the early stages of the outbreak, and vaccines were originally stockpiled for bioterrorism preparedness rather than immediate public health needs.
Efforts are needed not only to ensure that at-risk populations in Canada receive their second dose but also to improve vaccine availability in countries like Congo, where the virus is most prevalent. This approach not only helps control the virus globally but also reduces the likelihood of it spreading to other regions, including Canada.
