Measles is making a comeback in Quebec, with four confirmed cases and several others in the process of being confirmed, mainly in children. On the eve of the school break, public health warns that the vaccination rate of young people in schools is not sufficient to prevent transmission.
What there is to know
- Four cases of measles have been confirmed in the greater Montreal area and several others are being confirmed.
- Montreal public health warns that the vaccination rate of young people in schools is not sufficient to prevent transmission.
- The disease is spreading rapidly around the world. More than 300,000 cases were reported last year, an increase of 79% in just one year.
“We are concerned about the number of cases we have and the potential for transmission in the community,” he told The Press the Dr Luc Boileau, national director of public health. Children are currently hospitalized.
So far, four cases of measles have been confirmed in the Montreal region. At least four other cases are being confirmed, said the Dr Boileau. “What we know is that it could already be installed in the community. That concerns us. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Dr Luc Boileau, national director of public health
The first case of measles was confirmed in early February in a person returning from a trip to Africa. In the days that followed, a member of his family was also infected, said the Montreal Regional Public Health Department.
A third case of measles was confirmed Tuesday in Laval. This person, who was not vaccinated against the disease, did not travel and was not in contact with a known case of measles. “Local community transmission is therefore possible,” warned the Montreal Regional Public Health Department on Thursday in a call for vigilance to health professionals.
During his period of contagiousness, the infected person attended the International School of Adventurers in Laval, the Dépanneur Couche-Tard at 800 boulevard Chomedey in Laval, the waiting room of the GMF Center Médical Mieux-être, at the Henri- Bourassa in Montreal, and the emergency waiting room at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal.
Insufficient vaccination coverage
“It’s a disease that needs to be taken seriously and there is a very simple way to avoid it and that is by being vaccinated,” said Dr.r Boileau. In fact, two doses of vaccine provide 95% protection against the disease for life. He strongly encourages the population to check their vaccination records and, if in doubt, to be vaccinated again.
Currently, the vaccination rate of young people in schools is not sufficient to prevent the transmission of measles, reports the metropolitan public health department. This rate is estimated between 82 and 88% in schools in Montreal. To avoid transmission, a population vaccination rate greater than 95% is required.
All of Quebec’s public health directors met Friday afternoon to take stock of transmission in the province. “We are in the process of organizing ways to vaccinate schools, where vaccination rates are lower,” indicated the Dr Boileau. To receive the free vaccine, the population can make an appointment on Clic Santé or contact their CLSC.
The main symptoms of the disease include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, general malaise, and redness first on the face and then on the body. 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.
The last measles outbreak in Quebec dates back to 2019, when around thirty cases were confirmed. A provincial outbreak of measles also occurred in 2011, with 725 cases confirmed in the province.
Rise in infections worldwide
On the eve of spring break, the Dr Boileau invites Quebecers who will travel in the coming days to be vaccinated before their departure. The WHO warned last week of the rapid spread of measles around the world, with more than 306,000 cases declared last year, a jump of 79% in one year.
“We are extremely concerned about what is happening with regard to measles,” Natasha Crowcroft, technical advisor for measles and rubella at the World Health Organization, said at a press briefing.
“There has been a steady increase in measles cases in all but one WHO region,” the Americas region, she said. But as the numbers rise around the world, the WHO fears that the Americas region could in turn be overtaken by measles epidemics.
The resurgence of this highly contagious viral disease is attributed to a drop in vaccination coverage during the pandemic. “Measles and rubella prevention is no longer a global and governmental priority due to competing issues such as COVID-19, economic crises, conflicts, etc. », indicated the WHO in a note sent to the media.
With Agence France-Presse