Monkeypox patients in Ontario must be isolated in health-care settings
Health-care workers treating patients with monkeypox should use proper N95 masks, eye protection and isolation protocols similar to those of COVID-19, officials say.
In an infection prevention and control document released this month, Public Health Ontario says that while historically monkeypox has been limited to prolonged face-to-face contact or skin-to-skin contact with a lesion, “the possible transmission during the prodromal period and similarities to variola virus (smallpox), the potential for airborne transmission has been suggested.”
As such, these patients should be placed in an airborne isolation room with negative pressure ventilation when being treated in a health-care setting.
If this isn’t available, public health Ontario says the patient can be placed in a single room with the door closed.
When neither option is available, officials say “precautions should be taken to minimize exposure to surrounding individuals.”
Health-care workers must wear a fit-tested and seal-checked N-95 respirator, gloves, gown, and eye protection.
Public Health Ontario says these precautions should be maintained until scabbing has fallen off and new skin is present.
This is in stark contrast to how COVID-19 was dealt with back in early 2020, when health-care workers were not provided with adequate PPE while dealing with serious outbreaks in both hospitals and long-term care.
In April 2020, the Ontario Nurses Association sought a court injunction to force some long term-care homes to provide staff with items like N95 facial respirators. At the time, the association argued that in some cases, homes locked the masks up and “actively dissuaded nurses from using the precise PPE that they have deemed necessary.”
It appears as though Ontario health officials are acting swiftly to contain possible spread of this virus. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health issued an order to health-care providers on Friday requiring them to report any possible or suspected cases of monkeypox to local authorities.
There has only been one suspected case of monkeypox in Ontario so far. It was identified in a Toronto man who had contact with someone who recently travelled from Montreal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.