‘No doubt an epidemic’: Health professionals warn of severity of measles

As the province nears 1,500 measles cases, the Alberta Medical Association is urging residents to protect themselves and for the province to do more.

Health professionals are ringing alarm bells in Alberta as it becomes the measles capital of North America.

The Alberta Medical Association held an expert panel Tuesday afternoon to address the province’s escalating measles outbreak which has surpassed 1,400 cases.

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“There’s this misconception that measles is a routine childhood illness, and it’s not,” said pediatrician Dr. Tehseen Ladha during the panel. “Its high-contagiousness and relatively high rate of complications make it unique and something we should really strive to protect against.

The measles virus can be spread through the air and can linger in the air for up to two hours, making it one of the most contagious viruses on Earth, said Ladha. Measles is also contagious for days before the rash appears.

While Ladha supports the measles vaccine, saying it’s the only way to protect yourself from the virus, she did highlight the often rare symptoms of the vaccine.

Fever-associated seizures can occur in one to out of 3,000 to 4,000 individuals, said Ladha, while there is a one in 10 chance of hospitalization if someone gets measles.

“We need to compare that to the measles illness itself, which causes brain inflammation or encephalitis in one in 1,000 individuals,” said Ladha. “We can really see that the risks of getting the illness are much worse and more frequent than the risk of getting the vaccine.

Infectious disease specialist Lynora Saxinger said it’s reasonable to say that disinformation is a major factor contributing to measles outbreaks worldwide.

“Current vaccination rates in Alberta and across Canada are below the level required to prevent transmission of the disease if it’s introduced in the community,” said Saxinger. “It leaves our communities vulnerable to measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.”

While many people may recover from measles, others might endure long-term consequences like whooping cough, stillbirths and birth defects from rubella infection in pregnancy, and infertility in males after mumps infections, said Saxinger.

James Talbot, public health physician and former Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health, said the measles outbreak is “no doubt” an epidemic.

“The province is reluctant to call this an epidemic,” said Talbot. “But when Alberta’s 1,400 cases are larger than the number for the entire United States … there’s no doubt that this is an epidemic – worse, there can be no doubt that it’s still not under control.”

But a statement from the province’s Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said calls to declare an epidemic do not reflect current data.

“The vast majority of cases remain concentrated outside Edmonton and Calgary, which together make up approximately two-thirds of the population,” said the statement. “We have seen little increase in either city, and immunization rates remain high.”

The province said it is managing the current outbreak with expanded vaccination clinics, targeted outreach and public health guidance.

Early measles vaccine dose for children aged six to 11 months is being offered in central, north and south health zones. The vaccine isn’t readily available in Edmonton or Calgary because of high immunization rates.

“Offering early doses more broadly — without an identified need — would not be medically appropriate and could divert resources from areas where they are needed most," said the ministry.

The province initiated a campaign targeting parents of six to 11-month-olds in affected zones. The ministry said the initiative led to a 259 per cent increase in doses — about 6,000 more than the same period last year.

There were 18 new measles cases identified within the last 24 hours as of Tuesday afternoon. Cases are high in the north and south regions at 451 and 854 cases, respectively. Cases are slowly rising in Calgary and Edmonton.

There are 15 active cases of measles in the province as it nears 1,500 cases since Jan. 1.