Health officials confirmed 11 more measles cases in Norfolk residents over the weekend, bringing the current tally to 68 — surpassing the 64 cases reported in Ontario for all of last year.
Since January, the highly contagious virus has hit 55 children and 13 adults in the Grand Erie region, which includes the City of Brantford as well as Haldimand, Norfolk and Brant counties.
Although numbers continue to climb, an infectious disease specialist with McMaster University’s pediatrics department says that with any luck, the outbreak will burn itself out.
This is most likely to happen if people who show symptoms after exposure self-report to public health and follow the isolation guidance given by public health — and if unvaccinated close contacts get post-exposure vaccination within 72 hours, Dr. Sarah Khan told The Spectator.
There is no treatment for measles, just supportive care. So the majority of people can likely manage their symptoms from home if they’re staying hydrated and not showing signs of developing a bacterial infection like pneumonia on top of the measles, Khan said.
– Metroland file photo
However, doctors will want to watch pregnant people with measles closely because of their risk of “rapidly deteriorating,” with potential complications like premature labour, miscarriage, low birth weight of the infant, brain infection and even death for the pregnant individual, said Khan.
While someone who is already pregnant can’t get the measles vaccine, they can take the measles immune globulin within 72 hours, if exposed.
People who don’t have immunity have a 90 per cent chance of catching measles if they’ve been in the same room as someone who is infected, so Khan stresses the importance of calling ahead to inform an emergency department or clinic before showing up, to prevent further spread.
A similar outbreak in Texas is making headlines in the United States. There, the first case was announced Jan. 23 and they’ve reached 90 cases as of Feb. 21, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Closer by, Southwestern Public Health has also been grappling with a surge of cases — 42 confirmed as of Monday — although the health unit hasn’t kept a tally in recent media releases.
“While case numbers and exposure notices help to inform your risk,” knowing your vaccine history is the “more important” factor in determining your personal risk, said Dr. Ninh Tran, the medical officer of health for Southwestern.
“If you were born in or after 1970 and have not had two doses of measles vaccine, you are at-risk during this outbreak,” Tran said.
Its website has a risk assessment tool to help give guidance for people who may have been exposed based on factors like age and vaccination status.
Grand Erie Public Health said it’s working on an online form to provide initial guidance and help with contact management, which will be available soon.
