Manitoba expands measles vaccine eligibility for wildfire evacuees as medical officer warns of possible surge
Children 6-12 months evacuated due to wildfires will be eligible for additional dose
Manitoba has expanded measles vaccine eligibility for children who have been evacuated from their communities because of wildfires and may be staying in southern areas of the province that have seen outbreaks of the highly infectious disease.
Children who are six months to a year old and have been evacuated due to the fires burning around Manitoba will be eligible for an early dose, in addition to the routine vaccinations scheduled at 12 months and four to six years old, the province said in a Wednesday measles update.
Another 18 confirmed cases were reported Wednesday, bringing up the province's total to 90 confirmed and four probable measles cases for 2025.
The province had expanded vaccine eligibility last month to children living in the Southern Health or the Interlake Eastern health regions, and those who travel regularly to those areas, as cases continued to grow.
Dr. Mahmoud Khodaveisi, a medical officer of health for Southern Health, said the health authority had raised concerns with the province about bringing evacuees from northern Manitoba to areas where there have been measles outbreaks, including Winkler, where several possible exposures have been reported.
"There would be concerns about potentially increasing the number of measles cases, and when [evacuees return] to their communities north, then they might incubate the infection when they go back," Khodaveisi said.
On Wednesday, officials announced a new exposure site in the Winkler area. Anyone who was at the emergency department at the Boundary Trails Health Centre, between Winkler and Morden, on May 22 from 6 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. should monitor for symptoms until June 13.
Winkler, about 100 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, is among the southern communities that have set up congregate shelters for thousands of people who have been displaced by the wildfires.
Mayor Henry Siemens said about a dozen evacuees have come to the city from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, but no one is staying at the shelter yet.
Khodaveisi said the health authority had asked the province to look at other cities to shelter evacuees first to mitigate any risk from measles, but acknowledged the need for accommodations, with 17,000 people expected to be forced from their homes across Manitoba.
He said the vaccine eligibility expansion is one way to reduce the risk.
"If only a couple of people [evacuate to Winkler], we don't need to set up a clinic. They can go to [the] public health office or someone from public health office can go there and immunize them," he said. "But if there is many people, then we have to set up a clinic."
Khodaveisi said so far, he's only heard of a couple of families who will be sheltered in the Winkler area.
'Evolving situation': minister
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Wednesday the province is making sure evacuees who don't have updated measles vaccines can get immunized as they arrive in their temporary home communities.
Many "are coming to communities — the Interlake being one example— where we know we have cases of measles," Asagwara said.
"We have a responsibility in terms of our public health to make sure that we are taking steps to protect the public."
The minister said they would consider pop-up clinics or transportation to make sure people are cared for no matter where they are.
"This is an evolving situation," they said.
Mayor Siemens said 200 cots have been placed at Winkler's Meridian Exhibition Centre, but it's intended only as a backup shelter in case there's not enough room in Winnipeg.
"Luckily, they've been able to find places for the vast majority of these people to stay after a day or two," Siemens said.
"It shows us that there's some additional capacity in the system that — hopefully it doesn't — but if things do deteriorate further, we would still be available and we would certainly be ready to go."
Winkler has "a tremendously giving, very generous community. And when we put the call out, everybody stepped up," Siemens said.
"We had businesses step up, we had service groups step up, we had churches step up, and they asked, 'What can we do?' … So certainly if we get to a place that that's needed, we'll make sure that we put our best foot forward."
The mayor deferred comment on the measles situation to Southern Health.
Khodaveisi said Portage la Prairie — which has also set up congregate shelter — has only had one measles case, and that Southern Health will likely prioritize mitigation resources in Winkler.
Find the latest wildfire information:
Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.
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With files from Ian Froese