Rural hospitals might buckle under the pressure if measles spread continues: doctor

If the measles outbreak continues to get worse, rural health-care facilities in southwestern Manitoba might not have the capacity to house all the sick, according to a Neepawa family physician.

“These illnesses are very contagious and are airborne,” Dr. Nichelle Desilets said, adding, “I don’t know about every facility, but my hospital sure doesn’t have a whole lot of space to separate and isolate people who are feeling unwell.”

More than 30 new cases of the measles have been directly traced to Ag Days, a three-day indoor farm show held in Brandon in mid-January, including 12 confirmed cases on a single day, Feb. 9.

Until recently, Desilets says, she had never seen measles first hand, but learned about it in medical school.

“A lot of my colleagues and I this year can say that we’ve seen measles, which is not necessarily a good thing,” said Desilets, who is also the president of Doctors Manitoba.

And now, the health-care system is in flux trying to accommodate the “very contagious disease,” she added.

“We think that the incubation period is a few days before you develop the first symptoms: fever, runny nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes,” Desilets said.

“And then, usually, a patchy speckled rash starts on the head and moves down the body. You are considered contagious for four days after the rash shows up.”

A spokesperson from Prairie Mountain Health told CBC there have been “very few hospital admissions,” within the region, and all staff have been advised to make sure their measles vaccinations are up to date.

The emergency department waiting room at Brandon Regional Health Centre is one of 27 exposure sites in the Wheat City. That’s more than any other city or community in the province including Winnipeg, Winkler, and Carman, according to Manitoba Public Health’s website.

Dr. Brent Roussin Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said he expects that the case count from Ag Days will keep rising, and why he is expanding vaccine eligibility in the Prairie Mountain and Southern Health regions.

“Children, from six months to under one year, are eligible for a vaccine dose of measles,” Roussin said during a news conference on Thursday.

“We know that spread is occurring. We can focus on those that are eligible for vaccine and the more of those people that we protect, the more we can protect people who can’t yet receive the vaccine.”

Marianne Thiessen, a Brandon daycare operator who has more than 50 children in her care, says so far there have been no cases of measles at her facility, the BU Early Learning Centre

She says the COVID-19 experience, and parents keeping their childrens’ shots up to date explain why.

“I think COVID has taught us a lot. We’ve gone through it and, OK, here’s another illness that potentially for some can be life-threatening, for others not,” Thiessen said.

“And our families have stepped up, so we really appreciate the families who are able to make inoculations a priority.”

If a child gets the measles, BU protocol states that he or she must stay away from the daycare for 10 days.

Thiessen saysshe expects those protocols will change as more cases show up.

“If it’s in the community, especially in places where we’re eating and physically active, then chances are it’s going to spread like wildfire,” she said.

January’s Ag Days attracted about 35,000 people to the Keystone Centre, with almost 600 exhibitors.

Simply sharing the same air space with someone who has measles “poses a risk of transmission,” Roussin said.

But the province has no intention of imposing restrictions or guidelines for large gatherings. 

The next big event for Brandon is the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, scheduled for March 30 to April 4, with upwards of 40,000 people expected, according to the fair’s president Tim Rowan.

“Measles is on our radar,” Rowan said, adding, “Safety is important and we’re taking this as seriously as we can. But on the other hand we’re not ringing any alarm bells.”