TORONTO – Ontario might be measles-free, Minister of Health Eric Hoskins said Thursday.
“We’re now past day 21 since the last case of measles in this province. The incubation period for measles is between seven and 21 days, so we are now, knock on wood, measles free in the province.”
Symptoms generally appear in the first two weeks, Hoskins said. There hasn’t been a reported case since February 19 and unless there are unreported cases, the outbreak should be over.
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There were fewer than 20 measles cases during the height of last month’s outbreak, less than the number seen in Quebec and Florida, where confirmed cases rose above 100.
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Measles was effectively wiped out in North America prior to 2000, but since then, a growing number of people have been refusing vaccines, causing the disease to spread.
The measles vaccine is given in two doses; one when a child is 12 months old and another when the child is between four- and six-years-old.
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