Get vaccinated for measles, health minister urges

As reports of measles cases continue to rise in Canada, Nunavummiut are being encouraged to stay up to date on their vaccinations.

Despite a sudden spread in the south, no cases have been reported to Nunavut’s Health Department, Health Minister John Main said Tuesday during question period.

Main said the growing number of cases in other parts of Canada is “developing into a serious concern.”

“It’s a good reminder to make sure that we receive measles vaccinations,” Main said.

Since 1998, measles has been declared eliminated in Canada, meaning cases no longer originated here. That was done through widespread vaccination campaigns with endemic transmission no longer taking place, according to Health Canada.

But the disease is on the rise again in North America.

So far this year, 17 cases of measles have been confirmed in four provinces: Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Meanwhile, thousands of cases have been reported in Europe and cases have also been reported in the U.S.

On Tuesday, Aggu MLA Joanna Quassa raised the issue in the legislative assembly.

“Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we can never be too well prepared for outbreaks,” Quassa said.

“As the illness spreads across the country in the south, there is a strong possibility that it will eventually make its way up north.”

Measles is a viral infection with symptoms including fever, cough, red and watery eyes and a rash that can appear on the face and run down the rest of the body.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, more than 90 per cent of people who are not immune to measles and who come into contact with it will become infected.

While many recover from an infection after two to three weeks, measles can be fatal if left untreated.

People with weakened immune symptoms and children under five years old are most at risk.

“Outbreaks of such illnesses as flus, COVID-19, whooping cough, measles, chickenpox and other viruses are always a possibility, especially as more people travel outside of their communities,” Quassa said.

To prevent the spread of measles, Main said Nunavummiut can access one of two vaccines available in Canada, which also contain vaccines for other illnesses: The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine.

In each case, the first dose is usually given to children when they’re between 12 and 15 months old while the second is generally given to children at 18 months of age or before they enter school.

Having two doses of a measles-containing vaccine after one year of age is nearly 100 per cent effective at preventing measles, according to Health Canada.

Should cases of measles be reported in Nunavut, the chief public health officer will decide whether public health measures are needed and if contact tracing needs to happen, Main said.