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Schools in the Montreal area have such low coverage for measles that some have as few as just 30 per cent of children vaccinated, Montreal public health said Monday.
Roughly 10 cases of the potentially life-threatening virus have been identified in the province, seven of them in the Montreal area.
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“Seven or 10 cases may seem like it’s not a lot, but it’s more than we expected and it’s worrying,” Mylène Drouin, the director of Montreal public health, told reporters Monday.
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Fifteen areas have been identified by public health as places where the virus could have been transmitted. Anyone who was in the following places is asked to monitor their health and get a vaccine if they are not up to date (exact times for potential exposure can be found online):
- Murielle Dumont School, Feb. 21
- Royal Air Maroc Flight 208 from Casablanca to Montreal, Feb. 23-24
- Montreal airport arrivals and baggage carousel, Feb. 24
- Montreal Children’s Hospital emergency, Feb. 24, Feb. 26
- Câlins et popotins, Feb. 25
- CLSC Ahuntsic, Feb. 25
- Centre médical mieux-être – succursale Henri-Bourassa, Feb. 25
- Notre-Dame Hospital emergency, Feb. 25, 26, 28
- Ste-Justine Hospital emergency, Feb. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
- Les Anges de Bois-Franc Daycare, Feb. 26
- GMF Stillview, Feb. 28
- CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, Feb. 29
- GMF Collectif Medica, March 1
Dr. Luc Boileau, the director of the province’s public health department, said the vaccine has a good immunity rate and even protects after contact with the virus. He said it’s pivotal the to boost the measles immunity of the general public.
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“We estimate that we need a 95 per cent rate of vaccination for a good protection. Many regions have that already, and many schools have that,” Boileau said.
“This is the start,” Boileau added. “In other places where there were outbreaks, it started with just a few cases. We know it can progress rapidly.”
There are still several parts of the city, schools and daycare centres that have far lower rates of vaccination. Authorities will be targeting those areas in the coming days in hopes of boosting vaccine coverage. All Quebecers are also being asked to ensure they and any children in their care are adequately vaccinated. Those without vaccine booklets can go to a CLSC to see if they were vaccinated in the past.
Anyone who needs a vaccine can get an appointment quickly on clicsanté.ca.
“It can protect us, and it can protect our children,” Boileau said.
He explained that the measles virus starts with cold or flu-like symptoms, including a fever and a runny nose. It is followed up by a full-body rash, but by the time the rash has appeared, the illness could have been transmitted in the four days prior.
Beyond the typical red spots and rash, the illness can cause severe complications in children and adults. About one in five unvaccinated people in the U.S. who contracts the measles ends up in a hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to three out of every 1,000 children who become infected will die from respiratory and neurological complications.
Two doses of a measles vaccine after one year of age is almost 100 per cent effective at preventing the disease. There are two kinds of measles-containing vaccines in Canada: the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot and the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. The first dose is usually given to children when they’re between 12 and 15 months old, and the second at 18 months or before they enter school.
Aaron Derfel of The Gazette contributed to this report.
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