With the number of measles cases in Alberta on the rise, there are growing calls for the provincial government to do more to help stop the spread.
As of 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the provincial government’s online measles tracker lists 13 confirmed cases of the virus in Alberta — that’s two more cases than there was on Monday — with one more case in the Calgary area and another in Edmonton.
Eight of the cases listed are in the northern part of province, where the vaccination rate is the lowest in Alberta.
On Tuesday, Alberta Health Services also issued a public advisory about a confirmed case of measles in a visitor to Calgary and the Taber area.
However, that case isn’t listed on the province’s measles tracker because an Alberta Health spokesperson said they were a visitor from Ontario and are now back in that province.
Measels is a very contagious and potentially deadly virus that health experts say can easily prevented by getting vaccinated.
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On Tuesday, Alberta Health Services and the Calgary Board of Education sent a letter to parents, staff and volunteers warning them about the virus, its symptoms and information about the measles vaccine.
The letter also warns about the possibility of serious complications for people who contract the virus, including “ear infections, pneumonia, seizures, or inflammation of the brain” and it warns “complications are more common among children under five years and people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.”
David Brewerton, Pharmacy Manager at Luke’s Drug Mart in Calgary, says Alberta’s relatively low vaccination rate is a huge problem because measles is extremely contagious — and in some cases can be deadly.
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David Brewerton, pharmacy manager at Luke’s Drug Mart in Calgary, said the low vaccination rate in Alberta — 81.7 per cent — is a problem “because measles is extremely contagious. So much so that you need to be over 95 per cent vaccinated in the population in order to be considered to have herd immunity.”
“The vaccine is a longstanding very effective vaccine — it has been around for decades and is quite effective,” added Brewerton.
If you’re unsure if you’re up-to-date on your vaccines, he advises people to call Alberta Health Link at 8-1-1.
“Normally two doses — one is at around 11 months; the other, depending on where you are, could be at around kindergarten age or up into the high school age. Either way, two doses needed for lifetime coverage,” said Brewerton.
“If you get measles, which can be very nasty, then is lifetime coverage, too — but you don’t really want to do that.”
People who do get the virus can also be contagious for three or four days before they know they have it.
“If you think you’ve got it, don’t go to your doctor’s office, don’t go to an emergency ward,” said Brewerton.
“Call 8-1-1 and discuss it with them before you do, because it is so incredibly contagious.”
It’s also a very hard disease on the body, said Brewerton. “There have been fatalities — at least two that I’m aware of down in Texas, both unvaccinated.
“As well, people who get measles, it pretty much wipes out your immune system for a good two years.”
Glen Anderson of Airdrie told Global News that he’s ‘flabbergasted’ over the resurgence of the measles virus.
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Glen Anderson, who spoke to Global News outside Lukes Drug Mart, said he’s flabbergasted over the recent increase in measles cases.
“It’s kind of stunning to me that people would ignore something so important like this (that) was pretty much eradicated. You know, 10 or 15 years ago, we’d never heard of measles anymore. None of my kids ever had issues with it,” said Anderson.
Friends of Medicare is calling on the Alberta government to come up with a comprehensive “action plan” to educate people about the dangers of measels and the importance of getting vaccinated.
The increase in measles cases in Alberta has also prompted a warning from Friends of Medicare that this may be “only the beginning.”
It is calling on the provincial government to come up with an action plan to prevent the spread, including “widespread public education about the disease as well as a public health campaign on the importance of being vaccinated.”
In a media release sent out Wednesday morning, Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, calls measles “a horrible and totally preventable disease.’
He also took aim at the governing United Conservative Party, saying “a concerning disregard for the importance of vaccines appears to have become par for the course with our current government.”
In response to an inquiry from Global News about the possibility of trying to boost immunization numbers, a spokesperson for the Health Minister’s office provided a written response that said “unfortunately, measles cases are increasing globally and across Canada, including here in Alberta.”
The statement adds that “Alberta’s government is monitoring the situation very closely alongside our public health team, while also providing resources and regular updates at Alberta.ca/measles to ensure Albertans have the information they need.”
