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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.