Dr. Theresa Tam has taken to Twitter to warn travelers about measles. “#Measles is highly contagious! Make sure your family’s vaccinations are up-to-date before travelling,” tweeted Canada’s interim chief medical officer of health.
The tweet comes after health officials confirmed three cases of measles in the Toronto area and warnings that people on certain Westjet or Emirates Airline flights may have been exposed to the disease.
Measles can have serious complications
Most Canadian children get several vaccinations according to schedules prepared by health authorities. They are given two separate doses of a combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine first at 12 to 15 months and then at 18 months to six years of age.
Measles causes fever, cough, a runny nose and a blotchy rash which starts on the face and spreads over the body. It can be dangerous for infants and young children and anyone whose immune system is weak. Complications include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, seizures and even death.
Measles is a leading cause of death in young children around the world. Romania, for example, has reported almost 2,000 cases since February 2016 and 17 children have died.
Anti-vaxxers do not believe science
While 90 per cent of two-year-olds in Canada have been vaccinated against measles, there are some parents who don’t believe the extensive scientific evidence that vaccines are safe and refuse to have their children inoculated. This compromises the so-called “herd immunity” whereby a virus has trouble spreading when there are too few people who can catch and spread it.
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