At-risk Albertans mindful of summer plans as measles cases climb

As a measles outbreak grows in Alberta, some who are vulnerable are taking extra precautions as summer events kick into high gear.

Carla Jacobson lives in Edmonton and has four children, including a one-year-old and a newborn baby.

The one-year-old only has one dose of the measles vaccine while the baby will have to wait months before she can get her first shot.

"It's a little scary for sure," Jacobson said.

Measles cases have been steadily rising in Alberta since March. As of Friday, 1,407 cases had been reported across the province since the outbreak began.

The high case count has Jacobson more mindful of what her family of six will do this summer. 

"I don't really need to go to the mall. We have plenty of stuff to be able to do outside, like we don't even have to go to a spray park," she said.

She said she will likely abstain from festivals such as Taste of Edmonton and KDays, which attract thousands of people.

It's a similar story for Barry Gibson of Stony Plain, west of Edmonton. 

Gibson was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in 2021. His treatment included a stem cell transplant that wiped out his immunity.

While he was able to get other immunizations again, he is not able to get the measles vaccine because it is a live vaccine.

"So besides being immunocompromised, which puts you in greater jeopardy, I have no immunization for that particular disease," Gibson said.

"It makes me very nervous."

Gibson was able to take July off from cancer treatments because of lab results and is visiting family in Manitoba. When he returns to Alberta, he plans to take more precautions.

While his doctors suggested he mask up when there are large crowds, the Alberta man said he is not willing to take that risk and plans to avoid large gatherings and summertime events.

"I won't be going to the Fringe or the Edmonton Folk Festival. I just can't imagine sitting on Gallagher Hill there with all those hundreds and thousands of people all around me," he said.

Gibson said his son offered him a ticket to an Oilers playoff game, but he declined. 

"If I had a feeling, it's disappointment that our society right now — I blame a lot of it on social media — but our society right now seems to be willing to believe things that are not necessarily scientifically accurate," he said.

Greater risks for vulnerable Albertans

Dr. Stan Houston, an infectious disease specialist, said newborns and young children who are not vaccinated are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes from measles.

He said they are dependent on herd immunity.

"Pregnant women and small kids are having to be or should be pretty darn careful where they're going out, particularly in southern Alberta where the rates of transmission are highest," Houston said.

He said those vulnerable cannot fight the virus.

"All those risks that you hear about, pneumonia, encephalitis and death, are substantially more common across a broad spectrum of the different degrees of immune suppression," he said.

"You don't really wanna tell [someone] to just go to a cave and hide out. They could make sure that everybody [who] they share a space with in their household is immune. That would be one key thing."

Houston said respiratory viruses transmit poorly outside.

"Outdoor festivals would be the least risky places. Whereas going to a bar with low ceilings in the winter when everything's shut down, places like that would be much more infectious," he said.

In a statement to CBC News, the provincial Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said large events could potentially increase the risk of exposure to respiratory viruses, including measles.

"We continue to recommend that anyone attending large gatherings ensure their immunizations are up to date, practice good hand hygiene, and stay home if feeling unwell. These are the same precautions we have consistently encouraged to help reduce the spread of measles," the statement reads, in part.

It also states that immunization rates in Calgary and Edmonton are strong, adding that, as of Thursday, there have been no confirmed or probable cases linked to the Calgary Stampede grounds or Stampede-related events.