More vaccination clinics coming as measles cases climb in Waterloo Region

Public health officials say there are now more than 100 confirmed or probable cases of measles in Waterloo Region. CTV’s Krista Simpson reports.

The Region of Waterloo is setting up more vaccination clinics in an effort to slow the spread of measles in the community.

In a statement to CTV News on Thursday, Region of Waterloo Public Health said the pre-exposure immunization clinics will primarily serve people who do not currently have a primary health care provider or a health card.

The province recently expanded measles immunization criteria to include:

• Children 6 months of age to 1 year of age for their first dose
• Children 1 year to 4 years of age for a second dose
• Adults born after 1970 who require a second vaccine

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the medical officer of health for the Region of Waterloo, said her team is also reaching out to groups with low vaccination rates.

“Efforts have been made in all local areas experiencing increases in cases, including ours, with members of these communities and their leadership trying to encourage increased vaccination,” she told council.

Clinics are set to begin on June 2 and appointments can be booked on public’s health website.

Local case counts

Public Health Ontario releases an epidemiological summary each Thursday, though the numbers slightly differ from the region’s due to a delay in the reporting process. On May 22, they listed 64 measles cases in the Region of Waterloo.

But Wang said there were actually 100 cases.

“We had 78 confirmed cases and 22 probable cases,” she explained. “Local and provincial cases continue to primarily be in those who are unvaccinated or under-immunized.”

Across the province, 1,834 measles cases have reported since the start of the year. Most of them are in southwestern Ontario.

What to know about measles

Measles is a highly contagious virus. The disease can spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes. Even brief exposure to measles can result in illness.

Symptoms include a fever, runny nose, cough, red watery eyes, small white spots inside the mouth and a red blotchy rash. Other signs of measles include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia. In severe cases, measles can cause brain inflammation and death.

It usually takes between seven and 21 days for symptoms to show up.

Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to measles is asked to stay at home and avoid contact with others. If medical treatment is needed, people are urged to contact their health provider ahead of time to prevent the illness from spreading to other patients.