TORONTO – A Toronto public health unit is investigating whether there could be more smallpox infections at a homeless shelter after confirming a person with the virus recently visited the facility.
A statement from city officials said Monday that the person has been transferred to Toronto’s COVID-19 Isolation and Recovery Site, which also houses people who need to isolate due to monkeypox. He said city public health and housing officials are investigating “to determine if there are additional cases.”
The city did not release the shelter’s identity, say how long the person had been there or confirm whether the shelter is experiencing a monkeypox outbreak as a result.
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Diana Chan McNally, a community worker at a Toronto center for people in need, said the spread of monkeypox in Toronto’s shelter system, in addition to ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases present in shelters, could be “a recipe for mass infection.” .”
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“This is a disease that can affect anyone,” said Chan McNally of All Saints Drop-in. “If you have people in close proximity to each other, sharing space and small spaces in congregated settings, I imagine we’re going to see massive infection within the system.”
The city said it continues to work with health experts to reduce the risk of smallpox, COVID-19 and other communicable diseases in high-risk settings like shelters.
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To limit the number of cases at shelters, the city said it continues to practice prevention and control measures, such as enhanced cleaning protocols and the use of personal protective equipment. The city also said it is working with specialists to minimize transmission through audits, training and outbreak management planning with hosting providers.
The Toronto Shelter, Support and Housing Authority is working with Toronto Public Health to determine whether a monkeypox vaccination program can be developed for the shelter system, according to the city’s statement.
Now that monkeypox has been confirmed in the shelter system, Chan McNally said homeless people should be among the priority groups for vaccination.
Read more: Public Health Ontario reports 367 confirmed cases of monkeypox
“We need to make sure that the host hotels don’t close and we need to increase the monkey pox and COVID recovery sites,” Chan McNally said. “Currently we don’t have enough space, if we’re looking at potentially a massive infection.”
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Chan McNally also said the city should be more open with information about the confirmed case, for the sake of those entering the shelter system.
“I understand it hasn’t been declared an outbreak yet, but I’m very livid that there’s no information about it,” she said.
“It’s not about me knowing, it’s about people experiencing homelessness who have a right to know if their health could potentially be compromised if they’re currently in this shelter or if they plan to enter the system.”
Public Health Ontario said Thursday there were 367 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province, with nearly 78 per cent of the cases reported in Toronto. He says almost all affected people are men, with only two reported in female patients. The agency said most cases are among men who report intimate contact with men, but said anyone can get monkeypox.
In general, the virus does not spread easily and is transmitted by prolonged close contact through respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids, or through contaminated clothing or bedding.
© 2022 The Canadian Press