Fourteen new confirmed cases of measles over the past 24 hours means the number of cases in Alberta has now climbed to a total of 409.
A large majority of the cases — 269 — are in Alberta’s south health zone, which includes the communities of Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Taber.
More than three-quarters of the people diagnosed with the virus are children and three people are in hospital, in intensive care.
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I think it’s actually just crazy — it’s appalling,” said Dr Lenore Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta.
“For context, when many current doctors were in training, in the early 2000s, shortly after measles was eliminated as something that circulates in Canada, we would see less than 10 cases a year for many years — and now we’re getting essentially close to 10 or more cases a day.”
Dr Lenore Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, said it was not many years ago that there would be about 10 confirmed cases of measles in Canada per year — now the province is seeing more than 10 new cases per day.
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Amongst all the provinces, Alberta is second only to Ontario where there are now 1,622 confirmed cases of measles.
The outbreak of measles in Canada is now also being blamed for a
public health alert in the United States
in the Seattle area of Washington state.
Residents there are being notified of a recent visitor from Canada who had a confirmed case of measles and was contagious when they visited more than a dozen different locations.
While health officials won’t say where in Canada the visitor was from, they have
published a list of locations the person visited
and are advising anyone who was in the area at the same time to check their vaccination status.
Health officials in Washington state are warning residents about a recent visitor from Canada with a confirmed case of measles.
X/KCPubHealth
Recent outbreaks of measles in both Canada and the U.S. have also put both countries
in danger of having their measles-free status revoked
.
Even with occasional flare-ups, Canada has been regarded as free from measles (with no ongoing transmission) since 1998, and the United States since 2000.
In Texas, which has recorded over 700 verified measles cases so far this year, Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, stated that the true case count is probably significantly greater than what is officially documented.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, worries that we might soon witness an increase in severe childhood illnesses among those who remain unvaccinated.
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With most of the cases occurring in unvaccinated populations, in rural areas of both countries, Hotez is concerned we could soon see a re-emergence of other dangerous childhood diseases.
“Hotez mentioned he drew up a map covering the Great Plains, stretching from southern Alberta to West Texas — this region appears to be the epicenter for emerging pediatric cases and contagious illnesses,” he stated.
It might not just be measles. What about pertussis or diphtheria—or perhaps even polio? The usual response is that measles is often the first you encounter due to how easily it spreads.
“To bring the measles outbreak under control, we need to act quickly in regions with many susceptible individuals — and I believe this will necessitate a significant coordinated public health initiative,” stated Saxinger.
In reply to an inquiry from Global News, the office of Alberta’s Health Minister, Adriana LaGrange, emphasized that the provincial government “takes the ongoing measles outbreak in the region very seriously.” They highlighted a newly launched advertising initiative titled “Don’t get measles; get vaccinated,” which encompasses promotions across radio, print, online platforms, and social media networks.
LaGrange’s team asserts that the initiative is yielding positive outcomes, noting that from March 16 to April 27, approximately 37,242 doses of the measles vaccine were dispensed across the region—this represents roughly a 68% increase compared to the corresponding timeframe the previous year.
However, Saxinger is worried because “individuals who are less inclined to get vaccinated might not be effectively reached through social media and conventional media efforts — thus, it remains uncertain whether this will significantly curb the ongoing transmission in certain regions right away.”
I find this to be an exceptionally dreadful outbreak,” stated Saxinger. “Amongst numerous disasters occurring globally, this particular one could have been entirely avoided.
For more details about measles in Alberta, including the most recent count of reported cases, symptom descriptions, and vaccination data, you can find this information online.
alberta.ca/measles.
