Sask. Health Authority urges vaccination as measles cases spread across Canada

After a second case of measles was confirmed in the province Friday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is stressing vaccination as an effective method to curb further spread and avoid potential serious disease.

“It is extremely contagious, spreads very easily through the air, so your everyday mask [does] nothing to protect it. It’s not like for what we do for respiratory illnesses. Immunization is your best tool against measles,” Dr. David Torr, a medical health officer with the SHA, said during a news conference.

On Tuesday, the SHA warned of possible widespread measles exposure in Swift Current after a case was confirmed in the city.

During Friday’s news conference, Dr. Torr said a second confirmed case presented itself at the Swift Current hospital.

A third probable case is under investigation but is not related to the first two confirmed cases.

“Measles is spreading across the country. People are travelling to and from. This and any other new case could appear anywhere in the province right now. So, I really need everyone in the province to be on the alert,” Dr, Torr said.

“I think everybody should be concerned and really make sure we don’t get more areas of the province affected.”

Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada says that as of March 18, there has been 369 reported cases of the highly contagious disease across the country. That was up from 227 reported 10 days earlier.

The measles vaccine is readily available to everyone in the province for free. With two doses, the vaccine is almost 100 per cent effective, according to the SHA.

“Two complete doses [are] what you need to have full vaccination. One dose is not enough, but once immunized, the measles vaccine is extremely, extremely efficient [and] efficacious. As we say, over 90 per cent of protection both against getting infection and certainly against getting any complications or even death from measles,” Dr. Torr explained.

Measles can spread easily by breathing contaminated air after an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be contracted if a person touches a contaminated surface and then their nose, eyes or mouth.

The virus can live for up to two hours in the air or on surfaces in a space where an infected person coughed or sneezed. It can spread to others from four days before a rash appears until four days after a rash develops.

Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, fatigue, irritability and small white spots inside the mouth and throat. A red blotchy rash often develops on the face and spreads to the body around three to seven days after initial symptoms begin.

While rare, the Public Health Agency of Canada says measles infection can result in severe complications like respiratory failure, inflammation and swelling of the brain, and death. Blindness, deafness and brain injuries are reported long-term complications that can arise.

“It’s also possible to develop a neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis seven to 10 years after recovering from measles. It affects the brain and can develop even if it looks like you’ve fully recovered from the initial infection,” according to the Government of Canada’s website.

“The condition is rare, but fatal. The risk of developing this condition may be higher if you have measles before two years of age.”

Dr. Torr reiterated that measles is extremely contagious and urges everyone who is not to get vaccinated.

“Measles is here. Measles is everywhere right now, across the world, across the country, and on all of our borders, pretty much, at least east, west and south and measles is a very serious disease. Measles spreads very, very easily, and it’s very contagious and can be a very serious illness, especially if you’re not immunized,” he stressed.

“[It] is really one of the best vaccines we have on the market. It is safe, and we’ve been using it for many, many years without a problem,” Dr. Torr said.

-More details to come

-With files from David Prisciak and Aarjavee Raaj