Measles Outbreak in Quebec: Importance of Vaccination – Expert Insights and Updates

2024-03-04 19:31:35

At a press conference in Montreal on Monday, the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, said he was concerned about the situation. He wants to focus on vaccination to avoid an explosion in the number of cases in Quebec. He also points out that the vaccine is safe and offered free of charge and that it is the best way to protect yourself against the virus.

The majority of measles cases are found in the Montreal region, where vaccination rates against this virus are the lowest, particularly in elementary schools. Rates as low as 30% have been observed in certain schools, Dr. Mylène Drouin, regional director of public health for the Montreal region, said at a press conference.

The average measles vaccination rate in Montreal schools is 78.5% for primary schools and 82% for secondary schools.

“We are well below 95% to ensure collective immunity,” underlined Dr. Drouin.

Measles is an extremely contagious disease. A single case can contaminate 16 people, said pediatrician, microbiologist-infectious disease specialist at CHU Sainte-Justine, Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh. Measles can cause serious complications such as blindness, brain inflammation, pneumonia, and in some cases death.

The main symptoms are high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and general malaise, followed by redness on the face and then on the body, indicates the Ministry of Health.

Although ten cases reported for the entire province do not seem alarming at first glance, what worries health authorities is that there are several cases of local transmission and that vaccination coverage is insufficient to protect the most vulnerable.

Health authorities expect the number of cases to climb in the coming weeks, but it is difficult to measure the extent of the expected increase, said Dr. Drouin.

For each case of measles declared in Quebec, a public health investigation is carried out to determine the origin of the infection and to identify people at risk of having been exposed to the measles virus.

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