TORONTO – Another adult person has been diagnosed with the measles, Toronto Public Health said Thursday – the fifth confirmed diagnosis since the agency declared an outbreak on Monday.
That brings the total number of infections to three adults and two children under two years old. The cases are a concern, Toronto Public Health says, because none of the individuals travelled, and four lacked full vaccines and they’re all from different families. The health agency hasn’t identified a link between the individuals or a source of the infection.
The fifth person infected had been fully vaccinated, a spokesperson for Toronto Public Health said in an email.
“This is the importance of herd immunity, to protect those individuals who can’t be vaccinated or in situations where the vaccine was not as effective,” Lenore Bromley, a spokesperson for Toronto Public Health said in an email.
The health agency says the risk to the general public is low but urged people to get vaccinated if they haven’t been.
You need two vaccinations to protect against measles. The first is generally given at 12 months of age, and the second is given between the ages of four and six.
Some symptoms of measles can include a high fever, cold-like symptoms, sore eyes and a rash that lasts for four to seven days. It can seriously affect pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems.
Comments