Alberta's monkeypox vaccine uptake encouraging news, says infectious disease expert

Less than two weeks since Alberta changed its monkeypox vaccination criteria, more than 2,213 people have signed up to get their shots and 1,498 doses have been administered.

So far, vaccinations have taken place largely in Alberta's two largest cities with 513 doses in Edmonton and 726 in Calgary, according to Alberta Health.

"That actually is pretty decent uptake," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta. "I think that means that at least parts of the community are well aware and were keen to get vaccinated."

This is encouraging news, Saxinger says, because there is currently an opportunity to vaccinate those most at risk that won't last forever. Taking advantage of this moment will prevent the virus from spreading outside of those social networks into the wider community.

On Tuesday, Alberta Health Services (AHS) made the vaccine available in seven additional communities, including Edson, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and St. Paul.

So far, most cases of the virus in Canada have occurred in men who have sex with men (MSM).

Alberta Health recently changed its vaccination strategy to offer pre-exposure shots to certain groups of gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men, but Saxinger notes the monkeypox virus spreads through physical contact and can spread to anyone.

"It's a multitalented virus and it does not care how it gets from one person to another. It just wants contact. And so there's a window here, where if we're really thoughtful about making sure that the right people are vaccinated, that we decrease the likelihood of ongoing spread in the communities," she said.

When the policy changed, CBC News received initial reports of reservation phone lines crashing and clinics running out of vaccine doses. However, the vaccination numbers appear to indicate those issues have subsided.

The strategy now, according to Alberta Health, is to deliver as many first doses as possible to eligible individuals and to deliver second doses based on epidemiology in consultation with the medical officer of health.

Messages often still stigmatizing

Kristopher Wells is the associated professor and Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at MacEwan University in Edmonton. He says Alberta needs to do more work to destigmatize its approach to the virus, starting with the detailed questions put to those trying to get vaccinated.

"We create this kind of dichotomy and what it does is it further demonizes the LGBTQ community," he said.

The detailed questions make it harder to reach those in the MSM community who are not connected to community networks, he says.

"I would just simply allow people to self-evaluate their risk, and if they're in a high-risk group, OK, you are eligible to get the vaccine. Because who's verifying this information anyways, there's no possible way."

Simple, risk-based messaging is a good way to go, he says.

Public health officials have to strike a delicate balance between messaging directed at populations at risk and the possibility of stigmatizing that population, according to Saxinger.

"There is a little bit of a risk that any time you mention a particular group, that is perceived as stigmatizing," she said. "But that's unavoidable here, the dominant network of transmission right now is men who have sex with men."

Alberta Health, in an email to CBC News, says it has been working with community-based organizations such as Calgary Pride to increase outreach related to monkeypox. Calgary's Pride celebrations take place Aug. 26 to Sept. 5.

The email also emphasizes that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease.

"While monkeypox is in no way a disease that is unique to the LGBTQ2sIA population, at this time in Alberta, most cases of monkeypox are being seen among gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men. Therefore, those who identify as members of this population are encouraged to consider vaccination in order to protect themselves and anyone they have intimate contact with."

More information on vaccine eligibility and on how to make an appointment can be found here. If you think you have monkeypox, Alberta Health says to call 811.