On Thursday, the same day the United States declared monkeypox a public health emergency and two full weeks after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency, health officials in Manitoba opted to adopt a strategy of full and absolute silence. Manitoba developed a protocol in June to vaccinate anyone who had confirmed contact with a confirmed case. But since then, we have had no public warnings or education, no news briefings to describe the level of threat in Manitoba or reveal the level of preparedness in the public health system. At this stage, we don’t know how many vaccines Manitoba has and whether it has a chance of getting more if monkeypox is officially out. In the face of a new threat to public health, we have remained silent. Deadly, incomprehensible silence. In the face of a new threat to public health, we have remained silent. Deadly, incomprehensible silence. Undaunted by what seemed like a deliberately designed information blackout, Free Press reporters did their due diligence and reached out to people up and down the government hierarchy. Our reporters asked Premier Heather Stephenson, available Thursday at a public event, for details on the preparations the province is making to prevent monkeypox. He had nothing. Instead, he told reporters to contact Dr. Brent Roussin, the provincial public health chief. However, the Free Press was unable to reach Rouchen. We also attempted to interview Dr. Carol Kurbis, one of the province’s top medical officials, who made some troubling comments at a July 21 online forum hosted by a harm reduction resource center in downtown Winnipeg. At that event, Kurbis acknowledged that other provinces already offered Imvamune monkeypox vaccine to high-risk groups as a preventative measure — before they were exposed to a confirmed case. Manitoba still limited its vaccine program to people who have been definitively exposed to the highly contagious virus because “we don’t currently have enough vaccine … for pre-exposure prophylaxis.” At a time when monkeypox was certainly a top topic in the news cycle, public health leaders simply refused to participate. A request to speak with Kurbis was also declined. At a time when monkeypox was certainly a top topic in the news cycle, public health leaders simply refused to participate. Perhaps the low-key approach is not surprising given that the Tory government, like most provinces, has simply stopped talking about COVID-19, despite the fact that the pandemic is, once again, a live and growing one. existential threat. However, the monkeypox gag order was a very poor look for a government that does not have a good reputation for managing public health. A bad enough look that spin doctors got to work on Friday in an attempt to remedy the situation. With a story on the front page of the Free Press sounding the alarm about the province’s heavy-handed approach to monkeypox, back-channel rumors began circulating Friday morning suggesting an announcement was in the works. Finally, at 12:34 p.m., a new release was issued outlining plans to expand vaccine eligibility. Imvamune will now be available to all Manitobans who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender or two-spirit and meet one of the following criteria: positive for a sexually transmitted disease; you have had two or more sexual partners in the last 21 days, had anonymous sex or attended places of sexual contact (bathrooms, clubs) in the last 21 days, or had sex work either as an employee or as a customer. While expanding vaccine eligibility is a good step, it’s unclear whether Manitoba — and other jurisdictions that have also taken a lax approach to monkeypox — once again waited too long to contain the spread of a horrific disease. ETHAN CAIRNS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Health Minister Audrey Gordon declined to answer questions about the virus before a news conference she attended on Friday. It would be interesting to ask Health Minister Audrey Gordon, or Roussin, or even Stefanson if Manitoba is prepared for a major monkeypox outbreak and why this province does not have enough vaccine for a broader prevention effort. Unfortunately, Gordon declined to answer questions about the virus before a press conference she attended on Friday. And, as was the case the day before, no public health officials were available for interviews. In the absence of clear assurances that Manitoba has faced a monkey pox situation, we are left to conclude that it probably does not. And those who jump to that conclusion have enough past experience to fall back on. A chronic theme of this province’s response to the pandemic has been the insistence of political leaders and public health officials to wait until the number of COVID-19 cases reaches crisis levels before invoking social and economic restrictions. In doing so, Manitoba produced some of the worst results of any jurisdiction in North America. In the absence of clear assurances that Manitoba has faced a monkey pox situation, we are left to conclude that it probably does not. The good news is that while monkeypox is contagious, there is already a vaccine. And the further good news is that epidemiologists believe it can be contained by strategically deploying adequate amounts of vaccines. But only if we act now to protect those most at risk. Stephenson should know that most Manitobans are unhappy with her government’s response to COVID-19. And on that basis alone, he should make an extra effort now to manage not only a more proactive response, but appear to be acting with more urgency. What she must not do is adopt a strategy of deathly silence at a time when Manitobans need to hear her voice. [email protected] Dan LettColumnist Born and raised in and around Toronto, Dan Lett came to Winnipeg in 1986, less than a year out of journalism school with a lifelong dream of becoming a newspaper reporter. Read full bio
