TORONTO — Public well being officers reported one other 10 circumstances of measles in Ontario linked to an publicity in New Brunswick, bringing the variety of sufferers affected by the outbreak to 37 as of mid-December.
In an epidemiological abstract launched final week, the general public well being company stated the outbreak started in October after somebody was uncovered to the extremely contagious virus in New Brunswick. To date, 28 of these sickened have been kids or teenagers.
“Among the many circumstances which have occurred since October, all however two circumstances have been unimmunized,” Dr. Christine Navarro, a doctor with Public Well being Ontario, stated in an interview Monday.
“They don’t seem to be all occurring amongst younger infants, and that is what we’d sometimes see: younger infants who have not obtained one (vaccine) dose or each doses in childhood but.”
Navarro stated the variety of circumstances has ballooned this yr – as much as 63 as of Dec. 18, in comparison with simply seven circumstances final yr. Signs of the virus embody fever, a pink blotchy rash, pink watery eyes, and cough.
In Might, the province reported its first measles-related loss of life in years: an unvaccinated little one below the age of 5.
Navarro stated the proportion of seven-year-olds who’ve had each doses of a measles-containing vaccine has dropped considerably through the years.
This yr, faculty boards reported 70.4 per cent of scholars that age have had each doses, in comparison with 86 per cent within the 2019-2020 faculty yr.
There are probably a number of causes for the drop, Navarro stated, together with missed doses in the course of the pandemic years, delayed reporting of vaccination charges to native public well being items and vaccine hesitancy.
However she stated boosting the vaccination fee is the easiest way to stop such excessive numbers and severe penalties.
Public Well being Ontario says there have been 101 confirmed circumstances of measles within the province between 2013 and 2023, and by no means greater than 22 circumstances in a yr.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Dec. 23, 2024.
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
