Montreal Public Health launches measles vaccination campaign in select schools

Cases of measles are on the rise in Quebec, prompting some schools in the Montreal area to offer vaccinations against the virus.

Starting next week, Montreal Public Health will be launching a measles vaccination campaign in select schools. Letters and consent forms have already been sent or will be sent to parents in the affected areas. The aim of this campaign is to target groups and environments that are less vaccinated against the virus, according to CIUSSS Centre-Sud.

“Most common is pneumonia, ear infections, diarrhea. Those are we can treat to a certain degree. It is the devastating complications, such as something called encephalitis or swelling of the brain that can occur in 1 in 1,000 measles cases, death that can occur in 1 to 3 out of 1,000 measles cases,” said Dr. Earl Rubin, Division Director for Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Montreal Children’s Hospital.

According to the latest data, Quebec has recorded 12 cases of measles since the beginning of this year, with nine of them reported here in Montreal. The return of measles can be explained by a lower vaccination rate which has fallen below the 95 per cent threshold, which is the minimum immunity guarantee for Quebecers. The vaccination rate is currently around 80 per cent in schools.

“Each province has their own vaccine schedules, but most right now, and especially during an outbreak, we want to get those two doses in as soon as possible,” said Dr. Rubin.

In Quebec, the first dose of the measles vaccination is administered at 12 months and a second one at 18 months.

“The reason we don’t give it before 12 months is that there’s still some of mother’s antibodies that the baby has that will interfere with the effect of the vaccine,” said Dr. Rubin.

As spring break comes to an end and students get ready to return to their classrooms, Dr. Rubin says if you think your child has a case of measles, it might not the best option to take your child to a clinic or a hospital unless it’s an emergency.  

“You can call 811 for guidance if necessary. We just don’t want this spreading. But if parents do go to different healthcare facilities, whether it’s their doctor’s office or the emergency room, there will be questions that will be asked and hopefully the child would be isolated accordingly,” said Dr. Rubin.