Parents in Manitoba are growing more concerned as measles cases rise, and for the first time, officials have called what’s happening in the province an outbreak.
On Wednesday, the province announced 16 new cases of the highly contagious infection since last week, bringing the total for the year to 60 confirmed cases and four probable cases. Of those, 42 cases have been confirmed in May alone, according to provincial health data up to May 17.
“We are experiencing an outbreak,” provincial medical officer of health Dr. Santina Lee said Wednesday.
“We are seeing higher cases than usual, and we are seeing some ongoing community transmission,” meaning cases that didn’t have any known contact to a case either during travel or in Manitoba.
Most cases involve children who are unvaccinated, said Lee, who is also a pediatric infectious disease specialist.
Both Alberta and Ontario, which are experiencing larger outbreaks, have reported hospitalizations due to measles.
When asked how many of the infections in Manitoba have led to hospitalization, Lee cited privacy concerns and pointed to the province’s relatively low case count.
“We have been fortunate so far that the majority of cases have not really required a higher level of medical care,” she said.
However, she cautioned that Manitoba will likely experience more severe cases as the infection number rises. The province may change how it provides information, and what that includes, as it monitors the situation, Lee said.
‘I’m really scared’: mom
When Samantha Joyce went out Tuesday to buy groceries, she went out without her three-month-old baby. She’s worried about exposing her daughter to illnesses, including measles, she said.
“I don’t want her to get sick. I’m really scared about that,” the first-time mother from Lockport said outside a supermarket on Winnipeg’s Regent Avenue.
Canada’s immunization guide recommends children get their first dose of a measles-containing vaccine when they’re between 12 and 15 months old, unless they’re travelling to an area that’s experiencing outbreaks, in which case they can be immunized as early as six months.
At three months, Joyce’s baby isn’t old enough to be vaccinated.
“I am a little anxious,” she said.
“I really want to get it done as soon as possible, and it does make me a little wary about bringing her out and being around other people.”
Joyce, who lives in the Interlake-Eastern health region, has found the province’s list of exposure sites helpful, but plans to avoid certain social gatherings and keep her daughter at home until she’s eligible for a vaccine.
As of last week, the province expanded vaccine eligibility to six- to 12-month-old babies in the Interlake-Eastern and Southern Health regions, where most cases and exposures have been located.
Chelsey Winston’s nine-month-old daughter can’t get immunized yet, because she lives in the Winnipeg health region. However, she plans to speak with their pediatrician next week about an early vaccination.
“It’s just a concern, because you never know how you’re going to be exposed,” said Winston, who is also a nurse.
“It’s just another fear of that, of like, who would have it? Who doesn’t have it? Are they showing symptoms?”
She hopes to see changes to eligibility across the province soon.
“It’s scary, because … just in May, we’ve had such an increase. So what is next month going to look like?” Winston said.
“I feel like we might be a little bit more isolated to just certain different play groups or going … to the lake, just to have her separated from that, so she can still enjoy summer.”
Province not expanding eligibility — yet
Dr. Lee acknowledged the concern and fear new parents may be feeling during the measles outbreak.
Babies under about 12 months may have some immunity through their mothers if they were previously infected with measles or were fully vaccinated against it, she said.
Parents choosing to have their six- to 12-month-old children immunized against measles should still make sure they are vaccinated with the two routine vaccines at 12 to 15 months, and at age four and six, Lee said. The first and second doses must be separated by at least four weeks.
She said getting an early measles vaccine for six- to 12-month-old babies is safe but isn’t routine, because waiting until the child’s first birthday offers more long-lasting immunity.
For now, the province isn’t expanding vaccine eligibility to other health regions.
“We’re watching the situation really carefully,” said Lee. “Right now, we aren’t planning to expand that across the province, but that might be the situation later down the road, so it really depends on where cases are and what spread is looking like.”
There are also considerations around vaccine supply and uptake, “so right now, we are focusing on where the highest risk and highest needs are,” she said.
The province expects to see more new cases as community spread continues, and because vaccine uptake in some communities “is not as high as needed,” Lee wrote in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
As the number of measles cases in Manitoba climbs, the province says the majority of infections involve children who are unvaccinated. Most cases haven’t required intensive medical care, officials say.
