Public health officials have issued a measles alert in the Toronto area. A baby on Etihad Airways flight 141 tested positive for the disease after coming home. People may also have been exposed in the suburb of Brampton at a community centre, three health clinics and the Brampton Civic Hospital.
Measles can be fatal
Measles is highly contagious. Droplets from coughing or even talking can hang in the air for two hours. It causes a spotty, itchy rash and fever. It can also cause diarrhea and pneumonia, and in rarer cases encephalitis and death. An average one to two cases per 1,000 are fatal.
Most Canadians born before 1970 have had measles and are immune for life. But after that a vaccine was introduced and now children routinely get two consecutive shots to protect them. But the Canadian Paedriatric Society (representing children’s doctors) estimates as many as 20 per cent of parents delay or refuse to vaccinate their children.
Vaccine avoidance “misguided”
Some parents avoid it for religious reasons, others through the misguided belief that vaccination is dangerous. Scientific research has proven the vaccine to be safe for most people. Canadian officials cannot oblige people to get immunized but it is strongly encouraged.
Because measles is so contagious, 95 per cent of the population must have immunity either through having had the disease or vaccination in order for the community to be protected. One religious community in the western province of British Columbia does not have a high rate of immunization and about 350 cases have broken out in that province, says Dr. Carolyn Pim, associate medical officer of health at the Ottawa Public Health department. This worries her.
The more cases, the more exposure
“The concern with that is that the more cases you have, the more they’re likely to expose the other people and the general population. I think one of our greatest defences is having a high immunization rate and we certainly are concerned that everybody make sure their immunization is up to date,” says Pim. Vaccinations are not 100 per cent effective.
The measles outbreak in British Columbia and the few other cases in the rest of the country have been traced to travel outside of Canada, notably to the Netherlands and the Philippines.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.