'we can never let our guard down when it comes to measles': ontario's chief medical officer
ontario’s chief medical officer of health urges residents to get vaccinated against the highly contagious virus
3 minute read
dr. kieran moore, ontario’s chief medical officer of health, is concerned about the measles outbreaks across southwestern ontario. (postmedia network file photo)
youtube
/
postmedia
as the number of measles cases continues to rise across the province, ontario’s top doctor is now highlighting how the southwestern part of the province has so far been the hardest hit.
four public health units in this region – southwestern public health, grand erie public health, huron perth public health and chatham-kent public health – have seen a combined 71.1 per cent of the 1,243 total cases in ontario since this outbreak began last october.
“i’m very concerned that we have had significant spread in the southwest,” dr. kieran moore, ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said in a monday morning interview with the beacon herald.
“we have had people having to be admitted to hospital for the complications of measles.”
the huron perth public health region added 21 cases from april 23 to april 29 for a total of 142. it ranks third of all ontario public health units in total cases and, per capita, boasts 91 cases per 100,000 people.
there has been “significant spread” of the disease in farming communities, moore noted, while 95 per of the cases in children and adolescents are the result of non-vaccination.
“so our key message is, please stay up to date, please consider getting vaccinated. if you have questions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, ask your health-care worker. we want to support communities to make an informed decision and have the highest rates of vaccination possible,” moore said.
advertisement
two doses of the measles vaccine, which has a 50-year track record of success, is 97 per cent effective and provides a lifetime of immunity, meaning it is even more effective than the flu shot or covid vaccine, moore noted.
“it is one of our best vaccines. . . . it’s not like you have to get boosters on a regular basis. you get those first two doses, typically in childhood, (and) you will have lifetime protection against measles. . . . it is so highly effective. we very much support all ontarians taking advantage of it.”
while the current ontario outbreak has been traced to an exposure to a travel-related case in new brunswick, moore pointed to 15 other incidents of travel-related cases – people returning to ontario – that have not spread to the broader community because of widespread immunity.
“but sadly, in communities where there’s low vaccination, we are seeing spread because they’re not protected by the vaccine,” he said.
while measles typically spreads in the late winter and spring, ontario is likely going to see the spread continue until summer, he added.
while a school safety advocacy group, ontario school safety, recently wrote an open letter to moore and other provincial officials asking them to develop a “vaccine-plus” strategy that urges increased ventilation at schools and increased vaccination rates while encouraging ill people to stay home, moore said the virus is so infectious that one unvaccinated person can spread it to roughly 16 other people.
advertisement
“so with a virus that is that infectious, it’s really vaccinations that are the main means of prevention and then, with early identification of any symptoms of measles, please stay home,” he said.
while measles had been effectively eliminated in ontario since 1998, this outbreak is reflective of the more recent rise in cases in the u.s. and around the world, moore said.
since the start of this year, the u.s. has reported 935 confirmed cases, including three deaths, and 12 outbreaks across 10 states, the center for disease control states. this is already more cases than the 285 reported in the u.s. for all of 2024. according to the world health organization, there were 10.3-million measles cases worldwide in 2023.
“we all have to work on building confidence in our vaccines,” moore said when asked if the nationwide push for the covid-19 vaccine has increased vaccine hesitancy in recent years. “they are the best means of preventing illness.”
share story
