CALGARY – A measles outbreak in California—with 52 cases linked directly to Disney Parks—is spurring Alberta Health Services to remind parents about to take kids on spring break how important it is to keep immunizations up to date.
The letter is signed by Alberta’s medical health officers, and was sent to be distributed to all school boards early Wednesday. Parents can expect to receive it over the next several days.
“If you are travelling to an area where a measles outbreak is currently active (including, but not limited to, California), it is very important to ensure all travelers have received the right number of doses, for their age, of the MMR vaccine – the vaccine that protects against measles – before departing on the trip,” said the letter.
The letter suggests:
- Children six months to six years of age may require an earlier dose of vaccine than already scheduled
- Anyone born in or after 1970 should make sure they’ve had two doses of the vaccine
- Adults born before 1970 should have one dose
You can call Health Link Alberta at 1-866-408-5465 or your local community health centre if you’re unsure whether you need the MMR vaccine.
Measles has been spreading since an outbreak linked to Southern California’s Disney parks last month. Most of those infected were not vaccinated and American officials have urged people to get the measles shot.
READ MORE: Queen’s University students allege professor is teaching anti-vax theories
In Ontario, Toronto Public Health announced Monday that four people, including two children, had been diagnosed with the measles. None of them had both vaccinations needed to protect against the disease. On Tuesday, Health Minister Eric Hoskins said only 88 per cent of the province’s seven-year-olds are vaccinated—but said he’s not willing to make vaccinations mandatory in that province.
READ MORE: Health Minister dismisses mandatory vaccinations after measles outbreak
Measles is a highly contagious virus which spreads by small drops of fluid released when we cough or sneeze, said Dr. Samir Gupta.
“These droplets can remain suspended in the air for hours, and 75 per cent of unvaccinated individuals who come into contact with an active patient will get infected.”
Gupta said measles can cause complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis (infection of the brain), in very young children and in people with weak immune systems.
READ MORE: What you need to know about measles and vaccinations
Read the full letter below:
With files from Global News reporters Mia Sosiak and James Armstrong and The Associated Press
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