Some members of northern Ontario gay community want more vaccines, clear messaging on monkeypox – CBC.ca
Some members of the gay community in northern Ontario want clearer messaging surrounding monkeypox and more vaccine access to protect against the virus.
So far, the majority of the 400 people infected in the province are gay men, but anyone can get the virus through any kind of close contact.
Across Canada, provinces and territories have reported 957 cases of monkeypox as of Aug. 5, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Only two of those cases are in northern Ontario: one each in the Sudbury-Manitoulin health district and the North Bay-Parry Sound health unit.
Ken Miller, one of the founders of the Northern Ontario Pride Network, said monkeypox is reminding many people of the 1980s AIDS crisis that was incorrectly labelled as a “gay plague.”
“There is a certain amount of hysteria that comes with it,” Miller said.
“I think there are people that are afraid and there are specifically people that are scared of the gay community over this, as well as people in the gay community afraid of getting it.”
He is pleased to see the vaccine for monkeypox being made more available in the region.
At first, you could only get immunized against the virus in areas that have had confirmed cases.
But the Thunder Bay health unit has now agreed to make the vaccine available to gay, bisexual and trans men who have multiple sexual partners or are otherwise at high risk of contracting monkeypox.
Miller would like to see the province allow anyone to get vaccinated against monkeypox and be clearer in public health messaging that anyone can contract the virus through any kind of close contact.
“Prolonged contact, right? So it’s like cuddling, I mean, even wrestling, playing sports. Yes, sexual contact and all that. But just being mindful of who they’re getting that close to and for how long,” he said.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts notes it’s “important not to stigmatize others based on sex, gender or sexual orientation as this can lead to a misunderstanding of risks.”
The health unit has given out 21 doses of the monkeypox vaccine since July 18.