Saskatchewan adults may not have enough immunity to the last measles outbreak and are asked to review their vaccination records and obtain a reinforcement taking if necessary.
Measles cases, which is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, have recently increased in Canada and there were three cases in Saskatchewan in March.
Although Saskatchewan’s health authority (SHA) recommends people to verify their vaccination records, there is a trap: the SHA has no child immunization records for anyone before 1978.
“It can be really confusing if you don’t have access to those records,” said Ryan Meili, a family doctor who practices in Saskatoon. “Maybe you have a history that they tell you when you were a child you had measles, but it was never documented.”
Reinforcement shots
Any person born between 1970 and 1996 needs a reinforcement shot to be completely protected against measles, according to the Meili guide he said that the SHA has given doctors.
This is because the protocol during those years was only a dose of the vaccine and Meili said that the studies have shown two doses, the standard since 1996, provides better protection against the capture and spread of the virus.
“The first dose decreased the transmission. But then obtaining that second dose at the time really did the trick,” said Meili.
Joseph Blondeau, head of clinical microbiology at the Royal University Saskatoon Hospital and provincial protagonist of clinical microbiology with the SHA, said that parents must also make sure their children are up to date with their vaccines.
According to the province, only 75.5 percent of Saskatchewan’s children received the recommended doses of measles mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) on their second birthday in 2024.
Blondeau said that number should be closer to 97 percent to achieve the immunity of the flock, which is when sufficient population is vaccinated or has acquired immunity to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Measles is a highly, very contagious virus,” Blondeau said.
“If it has not been immunized, the recommendation is for two doses. If it is partially immunized, the recommendation is for a single impulse.”
Who does not need a reinforcement?
Any person born before 1970 is considered immune.
This is because measles infections were so widespread before public vaccination programs, that any person is supposed to live before 1970 captured the disease and acquired the immunity for life.
But there is a warning.
Blondeau said that the current guidelines of the Government of Canada recommend people born before 1970, but in a high -risk group, including health workers or people who travel internationally, they may need a reinforcement shot.
People at that age and the risk group should talk to their family doctor about how to receive reinforcement or make blood analysis to verify immunity, Blondeau said.
Those same older adults should also analyze their immunity now that Saskatchewan has three confirmed measles cases, Blondeau said.
Any person with documented hiring measles tests or receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine does not need a reinforcement.
“If you have clear evidence that I had measles and is documented somewhere, it has a lifetime,” Blondeau said.
Child immunization records
Blondeau said people can consult with their family doctor to see if their child immunization records are available.
SHA also has links for people in different areas of the province to request records of child immunization.
However, the SHA has no records for anyone born before 1978.
“It is not clear what the SHA recommends in that case if there are no records. But the general response would be to give that first dose in the absence of records,” said Meili.
For those without records, Blondeau said there is no damage to the MMR vaccine, even if I had measles when I was a child, or that it could already have had two doses.
The SHA provides the MMR vaccine for free to Saskatchewan residents who have not received both shots, or who need to increase their immunity according to Sha Guidance.
“These vaccines are incredibly safe,” Blondeau said.
Who should verify immunity?
Blondeau said that is a conversation that people can have with their doctor.
And he is one that recently had to travel outside the country.
Blondeau said that his wife’s children’s vaccination and immunity were not clear.
Despite his experience in the area, Blondeau said they decided to take the advice of their medical care provider, who suggested to obtain reinforcement shot instead of verifying immunity through blood tests.
“We simply call and ask for an opinion. We simply continue the recommendation.”
What is measles?
Measles is a highly infectious virus that spreads through the air. Symptoms generally include fever, nasal secretion, eruption and cough, but can cause serious complications that include respiratory failure and brain swelling.
In the most severe cases, measles can lead to death.
It was declared that measles had been eliminated from Canada in 1998 due to the success of public immunization programs.
However, the decrease in vaccination rates has resurfaced in a resurgence of the disease.
A measles outbreak in Europe last year resulted in 127,000 infections and 38 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
