Ontario is facing a huge spike in cases of measles with the virus rapidly spreading among mostly unvaccinated residents.
According to Ontario Public Health (OPH), the outbreak started last October, when a travel-related case was reported in New Brunswick and spread across the province, arriving in Ontario.
As of Wednesday, the province has reported 372 cases, with 30 hospitalizations, including 27 children, one of which had to receive intensive care.
Among the infected, 90.7 per cent of children and teens and 54.1 per cent of adults have not been immunized against the disease.
Measles is a respiratory virus that is highly contagious and can cause fever, red rash, cough and red, watery eyes. Proper immunization against measles involves two doses of a vaccine for most children and adults born after 1970.
Now Toronto spoke with Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a clinician and researcher with the University Health Network, who specializes in tropical diseases, HIV, and global health issues, about what Ontarians can do to protect themselves.
“Most people in Ontario are immune to measles, but there are pockets where the vaccine rates are low. And because this is such a transmissible virus, it’s so contagious, it’s going to find those pockets. And in fact, it is finding those pockets. Sadly, those are the people who are getting infected,” Bogoch said on Thursday.
According to him, the vaccine is very effective and safe, and is usually first administered on one-year-old babies, followed by a second dose between 18 months and about four years old.
Bogoch also said that adults who aren’t sure if they were properly immunized can simply reach out to their family doctors, public health specialists or pharmacists, saying there is plenty of support to help guide them through the process.
OPH has also attributed the rapid spread of the respiratory virus to exposure and transmission among unvaccinated residents in the region.
Before last October, Ontario had very rare cases of measles since achieving high immunization rates, with most cases being associated with travel.
“I think the key point here [is that] the vast majority of people have nothing to worry about, Bogoch said. “The vast majority of people are up to date on the routines. It’s people who are unvaccinated, are at risk for this.”
The physician says that while most people seem to fully recover from measles infection, the virus is still highly dangerous and could cause complications, especially in children, such as brain inflammations or bacterial infections, including pneumonia.
“This is still a nasty virus that still kills about 100,000 people per year on the planet. So, you know, most of them are kids, so it really can be a significant challenge in children and also in people with compromised immune systems,” he said.
The doctor advises those who believe they might have measles to contact their doctors first over the phone to avoid infecting others, saying that most treatments include supportive care as there is no antivirus dedicated to it.
“Obviously, if they have a rash that resembles measles, it’s important to go get checked out. But you should really call ahead, because it’s so transmissible [that] the clinic or the hospital might put you in an isolated area,” he added.
