Public health ‘at the ready’ for any measles cases in Ottawa

The largest outbreak of measles in the last 10 years has not reached the nation’s capital, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) confirmed in a memo earlier this week.

Public Health Ontario is reporting 470 measles cases, an increase of 120 cases since March 14. Since the outbreak began in October, 34 people have been hospitalized including 27 unimmunized children. OPH notes that 96 per cent of cases in the province are among unvaccinated people including children and infants.

“Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. High vaccine coverage against measles will significantly reduce the opportunity for spread of the virus and prevent outbreaks,” Dr. Trevor Arnason, Interim Medical Officer of Health, said in the memo. “After the second dose of vaccine, measles protection in children approaches 100 per cent.”

The majority of cases are located in the Southwestern Public Health region, where almost half of the cases are reported, and neighbouring Grand Erie, which has almost 24 per cent. Nine per cent of the province’s cases are now in Huron Perth, a region that includes Stratford and Goderich, Ont., rising from 3.7 per cent last week.

Despite clusters of outbreaks being far from Ottawa, OPH says that measles is a “highly contagious” virus that spreads through the air. It can also stay on surfaces for up to two hours after a person who is infected has left the space.

The health agency says it is working with community partners and school boards to encourage vaccination of children, a similar push for when it was organizing COVID-19 immunizations.

People can get the shots at their primary health care provider, and if they don’t have one, OPH says they can visit a number of community providers such as Kids Come First and ParentingInOttawa.ca.

Children in Ottawa’s school boards must be compliant with measles shots unless they have a valid exemption. The Immunization of School Pupils Act asks that children attending school or a licenced child care facility must be vaccinated against nine childhood preventable diseases including measles, diphtheria, meningococcal, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella.

“OPH is at the ready to support individuals diagnosed with measles, conduct contact tracing at locations where possible measles exposures have occurred, and provide outreach to health care professionals,” the agency said.