As the second dose of the monkeypox vaccine becomes available for B.C. residents, so does the latest round of scams.

The BC Centre for Disease Control and regional health authorities are warning that an automated call scam about monkeypox test results or exposures is going around the province.

After an individual has a positive test for a communicable disease, such as monkeypox, public health contacts individuals for follow-up and/or to identify people who may have been exposed to the communicable disease. This is known as case and contact tracing.

According to the BC CDC, the call claims that you have been exposed to monkeypox. Health officials are ensuring residents that this call is to be disregarded as public health does not use automated messages to notify individuals of infections or possible exposures. You will never be asked to provide financial information during case and contact tracing.

Case and contract tracing are done by public health staff in the regional health authorities and not the Ministry of Health.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says a total of 1,400 cases of the monkeypox virus have been confirmed in Canada, including 162 in British Columbia.

More than 19,000 doses of the Imvamune vaccine have been administered to those most at risk of contracting the virus in B.C.

The health authority says eligible people who have not yet received the first dose are encouraged to do so, but those who have had a monkeypox infection do not need a vaccine.

KAMLOOPS – WARNING – Automated call scam impersonating IH.
The call claims you have been exposed to monkeypox. Please disregard. IH does doesn't use automated calls to notify people about exposure to an infectious disease, an IH nurse will call you directly.

— Interior Health (@Interior_Health) October 18, 2022

READ MORE: B.C. to get 1.7 million doses of new Pfizer bivalent vaccine from next week

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