Manitoba will be making more appointments for the monkeypox vaccine available.

According to the province’s website, those eligible for the vaccine are individuals who identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community and who meet one of the following criteria:

• have received a diagnosis of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and/or syphilis in the past two months;
• have had two or more sexual partners in the last 21 days;
• have attended locations for sexual contact (e.g. bath houses or sex clubs) or are planning to;
• have had anonymous sex in the past 21 days or are planning to; or
• engage in sex work or plan to, either as a worker or a client.

Individuals who were a close contact to someone with monkeypox are also eligible. They can book appointments online, call Health Links-Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free 1-888-315-9257 or contact their local public health office to make an appointment.

So far, there are no confirmed cases of monkeypox in Manitoba, but there are 1,008 confirmed cases in Canada as of yesterday (Wed).

Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin noted many of the cases in Canada and worldwide have been reported among men who have sex with other men.

However, Roussin said while monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted disease, it is typically transmitted through close, sustained physical contact. He shared some preventative measures people can take:

• consider limiting the number of people you have close skin-to-skin contact with;
• avoid skin-to-skin or face-to-face contact with anyone who has symptoms, and especially avoid touching any rash;
• clean your hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• clean objects and surfaces that have been touched regularly (e.g. door handles, phones, countertops, etc.) with standard household disinfectants;
• don’t share personal items (e.g. towels, bedding, toothbrushes, sex toys, etc.) with others;
• wear a mask if you are in close proximity with someone who has symptoms;
• avoid touching bedding and laundry that has been used by someone who has monkeypox;
• stay home if you are sick, and encourage others to do the same; and
• get vaccinated if you’re eligible.

When asked about Manitoba’s vaccine supply, Roussin didn’t say how much supply the province has, repeating it is a scarce resource because it is being used in other provinces that have more cases. He also mentioned only a handful of vaccine doses were available in June and the province had ordered some.

“This appointment availability is going to continue to be based on the demand for immunizations in the eligible population, which we’re following quite closely.” Roussin said.

He said the province will report weekly monkeypox vaccination numbers, starting next week. More information can be found here.