The Ontario Ministry of Health is asking some health units in the province to accelerate and expand measles vaccines as the outbreaks continue to grow.
The areas in question are found in the southwest, where 92 measles cases have been confirmed since January, many in children and almost all in unaccoured people.
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH), which includes Oxford and Elgin counties has 35 cases, and Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH), which covers Haldimand, Norfolk and Brant counties, tells 57 cases.
“Measles is in our community. Therefore, if it is not completely updated about its measles vaccines, it is at risk,” said Dr. Ninh Tran, Swph Health Medical Officer.
The update came in an informative session in the hands of both health units, in which Tran and Geph Health officer, Dr. Malcolm Lock, urged community members to stay at home if their children or themselves They are infected. They also emphasized the importance of vaccination.
“Measles is not a new or novel disease. It has existed for decades and for a period of time we thought that in Canada we had predominantly eliminated measles,” Tran said. “It certainly resurfaced within our region, but there are things we can do.”
In the Geph Region, 48 cases appeared in children and nine cases affected to adults. The cases are concentrated in the Haldimand-Norfolk area, although the blockade did not provide the names of the exact communities or locations. In the SWPH area, most cases are in children and are located near Swph’s border with Geph, Tran said.
In general, both doctors said, the cases were found mainly in unvaccinated people.
“As we are seeing, any small decrease in vaccine coverage can lead to a significant amount of measles circulation,” Tran said.
In response to the growing outbreaks, Lock said, the Ministry of Health and Public Health of Ontario, Ontario, advised SWPH and GEPH to make immediate changes in their measles vaccination schedules.
“That includes the expanded eligibility for babies from 6 months to 11 months of age, the accelerated schedule for second doses in children under four and second dose for adults born in 1970 and after 1970,” Lock said.
Primary care suppliers offer vaccines that protect against measles or through community clinics offered by health units, Lock added.
Stay at home if you are infected, authorities say
For weeks, both health units have been providing periodic updates on the spread of the virus in their regions. These updates have often arrived in the form of notices to the public, including times and dates in which the premises may have been exposed to the virus.
According to Lock, when it is reported that a child with symptoms begins an investigation. Since the measles incubation period is approximately 21 days, children who have had contact with the infected child are removed from school for 21 days.
“Basically, to ensure, they are incubating something, which is not transmitted to other children in the same area,” Lock said.
In terms of what to do if it is infected, the authorities say that it is imperative to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary to seek medical attention. If you seek medical attention, it is important to use a medical grade mask, call in advance of the clinic or hospital and take other precautions to reduce the risk of spreading highly contagious disease.
Both Geph and SWPH have web pages that encourage the locals to visit to keep up to date in possible exposure sites and learn more about immunization opportunities.
Anyone who was born in 1970 is encouraged to get vaccinated if he has not yet done so.
