Measles continues to spread in Quebec. In its latest daily report, the Ministry of Health and Social Services reports 17 confirmed cases, a jump of five since Friday. The mainland remains the most affected region with 13 people infected. Fewer than five cases have been recorded in Laval, as well as in Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec.
A week ago, the national director of public health of Quebec, Dr Luc Boileau, warned Quebecers that cases of measles could increase “rapidly” in the province. He invited the population to be vaccinated and to be vigilant during the school break week.
The Dr Boileau will hold a webinar on Tuesday at noon entitled “Measles: understand it well to better detect it”, intended for doctors, pharmacists and nurses. In an invitation to its members, the College of Physicians of Quebec emphasizes that “a good number of health professionals” have yet “never been exposed” to measles in their practice, since this disease is considered to have been eradicated in Canada since 1998.
The Montreal Regional Public Health Department and the five CIUSSS in Montreal, for their part, are preparing a “very targeted” vaccination campaign to reach “the population that is little or not vaccinated, i.e. school-age students”. At the CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the vaccine will be given in a first school on Thursday. “The parents of this school received an information letter and a consent form today, Monday March 11,” said its spokesperson Geneviève Paradis.
New exhibition environments
The Ministry of Health has added new exposure environments to its list: the Amiens Daycare, the Santa Cabrini Hospital emergency room and the Palace Magique Daycare join those already listed, such as the Montreal airport, the blue and orange lines of the metro, medical clinics, the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center.
Remember that measles is extremely contagious. The virus is caught by breathing the same air as an infected person, even over a distance of more than 2 meters (6 feet). It can survive for a few hours suspended in the air and disperse. If an unprotected person is in contact with a sick person, the risk of catching measles is 9 out of 10, according to the Montreal Regional Public Health Department.
This disease manifests itself by fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, as well as pimples or redness on the skin. It can lead to ear infections, pneumonia, loss of vision or hearing, brain infection and even death. There is no treatment for measles. Young children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk of developing serious symptoms. The best way to protect yourself against the disease is to get vaccinated, health authorities say.