alberta to ramp up measles vaccinations and health campaign amid highest number of cases in decades
alberta has been grappling with the highest number of measles cases in the province in decades.
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alberta health minister adriana lagrange.
gavin young
/
postmedia
alberta has been grappling with the highest number of measles cases in the province in decades, and after calls from physicians to ramp up the health campaign and promote vaccinations, the health minister announced a new rollout on monday.
health minister adriana lagrange said the province will expand measles immunization in central and south zone clinics, where the bulk of cases are located. they will also launch a province-wide “don’t get measles. get immunized” awareness campaign.
“getting immunized against measles is the single most important thing you can do to protect your loved ones and yourself and your community,” lagrange said.
“measles is not a mild illness. it’s highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, particularly for children under five years of age and vulnerable individuals. so the measles vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection.”
according to the province, there are 265 cases in alberta as of may 5 and 42 cases are currently active. of those cases, 221 are kids and teenagers. roughly 86 per cent of all cases are located in the south and central zones.
ahs issues public alert in edmonton
alberta health services (ahs) says there has been a confirmed case of measles in the edmonton zone on april 26 at the cineplex odeon south edmonton cinemas, in a news release on monday.
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officials said individuals who were at the location between 8:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. may have been exposed because the person was infectious on the date.
dr. ifeoma achebe, a medical officer of health for the central zone, said to achieve “herd immunization,” 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent further spread.
“unfortunately, we’re not there yet. in (the central zone) we’re at 90 per cent and then in the northeast area of my zone, where we’re seeing cases, we have about 72 per cent, which is not very ideal,” achebe said.
albertans urged to take public health advice
the province said additional vaccination appointments will be added in the central and south zones starting monday. clinics in central zones will now have walk-in availability, including some evening and saturday availability. evening and weekend appointments will be added in the south zones.
ahs is prepared to ramp up additional measles clinics in other areas of the province based on demand.
lagrange said the province has also introduced a new early dose of measles vaccines available for infants six to 11 months of age in the north, central and south zones.
dr. sunil sookram, interim chief medical officer of health, said that while immunization decisions are “deeply personal,” the province is providing individuals with “science-based” information and urged albertans to take public health advice to further prevent the spread of measles.
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“the measles vaccine is safe, it’s effective, and we know this to be true,” sookram said.
“this is a disease we rarely saw in canada or alberta for many years, thanks to the high immunization rates. and i have to admit, i’ve been practicing emergency medicine at the university hospital for 25 years, and i’ve never seen a measles case in my career.”
alberta will be launching its “don’t get measles. get immunized” campaign in mid-may, with a toolkit being developed to share with daycare providers to give parents necessary information on measles and vaccinations.
ndp criticizes government over late response
alberta ndp health critic sarah hoffman urged albertans to get the vaccine and slammed the ucp, saying it “hasn’t taken vaccines seriously.”
“over 200 people with measles, and now almost 300, is deeply concerning. we’ve been raising alarm bells about this for months,” hoffman said.
hoffman said the province should have done more as early as six months ago when cases started to creep up, specifically around measles, mumps and rubella.
in a statement on monday, the alberta medical association said it welcomes the province’s access to measles vaccinations and the launch of the health campaign. it said achieving a 95 per cent immunization rate is “essential for community protection.”
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“measles is far from a routine illness. it has re-emerged as a serious threat that demands vigilance and preventive action. highly contagious, it can spread rapidly without proper precautions,” the statement said.
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