As of Thursday, Albertans 18 and older who met the criteria will be eligible for the monkeypox vaccine.
In a release, the province said vaccine supply is limited and will be made available first to those eligible in Calgary and Edmonton, where all confirmed cases have been located.
Up to this point, Alberta has been providing Imvamune to close contacts of a confirmed monkeypox case after exposure since June 7. To help curb the spread of the virus, the province is expanding the monkeypox vaccine eligibility to include targeted prevention prior to an exposure for Albertans who are at higher risk of being exposed to monkeypox.
“With the elevated risk of contracting the monkeypox virus in some segments of the population, every effort should be made to prevent it from spreading, including getting vaccinated if eligible,” said Jason Copping, Minister of Health.
“Anyone experiencing symptoms, such as fever, swollen glands, sores or a rash, is reminded to self-isolate and get the necessary care from a health-care provider.”
Those eligible include individuals who are Transgender, cisgender or two-spirit individuals who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Have received a recent (in the last six months) diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection.
- Are planning to have, or in the past 90 days had, sex outside of a mutually monogamous relationship.
- Have attended venues for sexual contact within the past 90 days (e.g., bath houses, sex clubs) or may be planning to, or who work/volunteer in these settings.
- Any sexual contacts of the individuals described above.
- Staff and volunteers in a social setting or venue or event where sexual activities between men (individuals described above) may take place.
“Although anyone can catch the monkeypox virus through close physical contact, during the current outbreak, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men have been impacted the most, especially those with new or multiple sexual partners,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health.
“Those eligible for the monkeypox vaccine should consider getting a dose and at the same time take other recommended measures to reduce the risk of exposure.”
Close contacts of people suspected or confirmed to have a monkeypox infection are advised to self-monitor for 21 days after their last exposure. If symptoms develop, they should self-isolate, seek care and get tested.
Anyone who is eligible needs to contact Health link to review eligibility and book an appointment.