Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says Alberta’s measles outbreak isn’t dire enough for the province’s top public health doctor to address the public, despite mounting calls for the government to do more to stop the spread.
Alberta Health Services announced seven new cases of the highly infectious disease Tuesday, bringing the province’s confirmed case total to 43 since early March.
Cases have been reported in all five provincial health zones. The numbers are updated daily at noon.
There have been exposures across Alberta, including in Airdrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Vermilion and Lethbridge. For the latest on those, visit this AHS website.
The new cases come as the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association blamed the spread on government inaction, calling Tuesday for a government-initiated vaccination plan and better public updates.
Speaking to reporters, LaGrange didn’t address the call for a vaccination plan, but said chief medical officer of health Dr. Mark Joffe doesn’t think the situation warrants a public address quite yet.
“When Dr. Joffe feels that that’s important for him to do, he will absolutely go out and do that,” LaGrange said.
“But right now, he feels it’s important to work with the local medical officers of health and the local communities to make sure that (affected) communities are getting the information and the support that they need.”
In a statement, the association, which represents doctors, hospital staff and continuing care medical workers, pointed to Alberta’s low vaccination rates as the cause of the spread.
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“Alberta has seen outbreaks that are cause for concern because not enough Albertans are immunized,” the association said, noting that, in 2023, less than 70 per cent of Albertans had received two doses of the measles vaccine by the age of two.
“Two vaccine doses are nearly 100 per cent effective at preventing infection.”
LaGrange said the seven most recent cases were all in Alberta’s central zone, but she didn’t provide a specific location. She also said the government’s website is a way for Albertans to access information about measles and the outbreak.
Opposition NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman said Joffe should address the public before cases get further out of hand.
“Public health needs to be unleashed so that they can actually tell everyone actively to get immunized and to protect themselves and the people that they love,” Hoffman said.
“We were at a place where we had zero cases and we can get there again.”
The government’s website contains a chart with case counts by area that is updated daily. It also contains a breakdown by age group. Age categories are limited to those under the age of 18 and those older than 18.
As of Tuesday, 39 of the 43 cases confirmed in Alberta are under the age of 18.
Alberta Health Services says measles symptoms include a fever higher than 38.3 C and a red spot-like rash that begins on the face and appears a few days following the onset of a fever.
Coughing, a runny nose and redness in the eyes are also symptoms of measles.
Once declared eradicated in Canada in 1998, measles is now making a comeback, spreading rapidly in recent months due to declining vaccination rates.
The medical staff association says measles can lead to pneumonia and brain inflammation, which can cause brain damage, seizures, or blindness.
“It is extremely contagious by spreading through the air, even after an infected person has left a space,” the association said.
“A person can be infectious four days before a rash appears.”
If symptoms appear, AHS says people should stay home and call Health Link at 811 before visiting a health-care facility or doctor.
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