Montreal public health found a measles case. Here's what parents should keep in mind
Quebec vaccination rates are high, but not high enough to completely eliminate chance of outbreak, doctor says
There's a rare case of measles in Montreal and public health officials are trying to trace the contacts of the person who is infected, isolate the virus and squash any chance of an outbreak.
Measles is a highly transmissible virus with a long incubation period and it can be fatal.
The vaccination rate against the virus is fairly high in Quebec, but there are still things parents of young children, especially infants, should keep in mind to limit their exposure to it.
How dangerous is the virus?
Measles is a highly contagious and serious illness that spreads through the air from nose and throat droplets from infected people.
"It's very easy to transmit it to multiple people who are just present in the same area as the individual," said Marie-Astrid Lefebvre, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with the Montreal Children's Hospital.
"You don't need to be close to the person to get it."
Across the world, measles remains among the common causes of deaths among children.
"Measles has been eliminated from Canada but from time to time there are travellers who are not adequately vaccinated that go to many countries in the world where measles is endemic," said Dr. Paul Le Guerrier, who is with Montreal Public Health's department of immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases.
It can take one to two weeks before someone exposed to the virus begins showing symptoms. Those symptoms include: a high fever, a runny nose, coughing, red eyes and general discomfort. Then, a rash develops on the face and body.
According to Quebec Public Health, a person with the virus is contagious four days before the rash appears and can remain contagious for up to four days afterward.
Complications include ear infections, pneumonia, convulsions and, in some cases, death.
What can I do to keep me and my children safe?
The main thing to do is check your children's vaccination booklet and make sure they received their two doses of MMR vaccines: One at the 12-month mark and the other when they're 18 months old. The vaccination schedule can be different in other provinces and countries. MMR stands for measles, mumps and rubella.
If you have doubts or your vaccination booklet seems unclear, it's best to call your doctor or go to a CLSC to check. The province keeps vaccination records.
Public health officials urge anyone who is missing a shot or two to get the vaccine.
"It's highly protective, highly efficacious," said Le Guerrier.
He also urges people to check their vaccination booklets before travelling outside of Canada.
"Make sure that the children, even the adults have the required doses," he said. "And you'll be safe. You will not bring measles into Canada."
The large majority of people in Quebec are protected against measles. But small infants under a year old who have not yet received the shot are much more vulnerable.
What do I do if I come into contact with the virus?
Parents of infants who have not yet had the chance to get the vaccine must monitor symptoms if ever they think they've been exposed to the virus.
Even if a parent is worried they've been exposed and their child has developed a rash, it's very unlikely they've contracted measles if they have had both shots, said Lefebvre. If they have doubts, they should go see a doctor.
"Call the clinic ahead of time because the child will need to be isolated somehow," she said.
"The emergency room is probably best place because there are special rooms that we can place children in and then we won't spread the virus to everybody else."
What are the chances of an outbreak?
It's possible.
And that's because the vaccination rates are fairly high in Quebec, but not high enough to completely eliminate the chance of an outbreak, especially considering how transmissible the virus is.
Public health officials in Montreal say the vaccination rate among school-age children and teenagers is between 82 and 88 per cent. Ideally, that number would be at around 95 per cent.
Le Guerrier says there are several initiatives by Montreal Public Health to increase that vaccination rate, including making sure parents of newborns are aware of the vaccine schedule and talking to parents of unvaccinated children who are in school.
When a case of measles does get reported, that also gives local health authorities a chance to get more people vaccinated.
"When there is a case, public health is involved and does an outbreak investigation to identify the people who are not adequately vaccinated and provide that vaccination in the following days," Le Guerrier said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
