Measles | Thousands of Quebecers vaccinated during spring break

The public health message has been heard: nearly 5,000 Quebecers were vaccinated against measles during spring break, at a time when the disease is making a comeback in the province, with 17 confirmed cases.

Where are we with measles in Quebec?

Measles has arrived in Quebec in recent weeks, at a time when the disease is rapidly spreading around the world. So far, 17 cases have been confirmed, mainly in the greater Montreal area.

Several contracted the disease while being around an infected child at CHU Sainte-Justine, The Press the D^r Luc Boileau, national director of public health for Quebec. This rapid transmission to the hospital does not surprise professor of infectious diseases at McGill University Brian Ward.

An infected person in an auditorium could easily infect all the unvaccinated people in the room, Mr. Ward gives as an example.

How to protect yourself?

Vaccination is the most effective way to protect yourself. Two doses of vaccine provide 95% protection against the disease for life.

At the start of the spring break, Public Health strongly encouraged the population to get vaccinated. The call has been heard.

From March 3 to 7, during the first days of the school break, 4,932 doses of the measles vaccine were administered, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).

This is an increase from January and February, when an average of 3,775 measles vaccinations were administered each week. “The MSSS expects vaccination data to increase over the coming weeks with the deployment of more limited vaccination activities and school vaccination,” indicated Francis Martel, media relations.

Adults born before 1970 do not need to be vaccinated. They are considered immune due to the widespread circulation of the virus when they were younger.

Is there a risk of measles outbreaks in schools?

It’s possible. Currently, the vaccination rate of young people in schools, which varies between 82 and 88%, is not sufficient to prevent the transmission of measles, warned the Regional Public Health Directorate (DRSP) of Montreal before school break.

In some metropolitan schools, vaccination coverage is as low as 30%. To avoid transmission, a population vaccination rate greater than 95% is required.

In the coming days, Public Health teams will contact parents of unvaccinated children to encourage them to have their children vaccinated. “With the public information circulating, this should further encourage parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated,” believes the D^r Boileau.

What are the risks of an infection?

The main symptoms of measles are usually high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, general malaise, and redness first on the face and then on the body.

However, there is “a great risk of severe complications”, specifies Brian Ward. These complications include blindness, deafness and permanent neurological sequelae. About 1 in 2,000 people will be left with lifelong neurological problems as a result of the infection, Ward says.

People most at risk of complications from the disease are babies younger than 1 year old, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women who are not adequately vaccinated against measles.

What are the obstacles to vaccination?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a delay in vaccination programs across the globe, particularly in Quebec. “During the pandemic period, especially at the beginning, there were so many services that were disrupted, which meant that some missed out [de la vaccination]so we had a small drop at that time,” explains the D^r Boileau.

During the pandemic, some people began to question the usefulness of vaccination, says the D^r Boileau. The majority of them do not refuse vaccination categorically. “It’s more of a hesitation,” he said.

The measles vaccine has not always had good press. In 1998, a British gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, falsely showed a correlation between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. These results have been widely reported and publicized. Although it has been shown that the D^r Wakefield had falsified his data, and although he was removed from the British Medical Association, some people remain fearful to this day.