Vancouver agencies among those to receive funding for monkeypox awareness campaigns

Three community organizations will receive a combined total of $550,000 from the federal government to raise awareness and reduce stigma about monkeypox.

Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre Hedy Fry made the announcement in Vancouver on Friday.

Vancouver-based Community-Based Research Centre and H.I.M Health Initiative for Men Society will receive funding, as will the Queer and Trans Health Collective in Edmonton.

"I am pleased that this funding will help organizations such as H.I.M Health Initiative for Men Society, a community-based organization here in Vancouver that has been dedicated to promoting the health of gay and bisexual men," Fry said in a statement.

"This funding is an important step in increasing each organization’s capacity to share information about monkeypox and collaborating to help slow the spread of the virus."

As of Thursday, B.C. had 98 recorded cases of monkeypox. A significant majority – 81 – were reported in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Nine were in Fraser Health, six in Island Health and two were reported in Interior Health.

"We have seen that when community-based organizations, governments, and public health collaborate on health promotion and disease prevention we are able to reach more people more effectively than any of us can alone," said Simon Rayek, director of health administration at H.I.M., in a news release.

"In Vancouver, such collaborations have yielded the most robust response to monkeypox that we have seen anywhere in the world. We are pleased that the federal government recognizes and is supporting the role community-based organizations have in keeping our communities safe."

The provincial government says it's working closely with its counterparts and officials in Ottawa to stop the spread of monkeypox, and according to the BCCDC, the risk to the general population is still considered low. 

Monkeypox often presents as a flu-like infection with a rash and spreads through close personal contact with someone who is symptomatic.

Health officials have recommended vaccinations for high-risk groups, including health-care workers, close contacts, and men who have sex with men and have recently had multiple sexual partners.

Federal data updated Friday revealed there were 1,059 cases nationwide. Just under half (511) were reported in Ontario. Another 426 were in Quebec. Saskatchewan's recorded three cases, Alberta's reported 19 and Yukon has two as of Friday, according to Health Canada.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Kendra Mangione