Alberta Health Services declared a measles outbreak in its Calgary, Edmonton and Central zones, April 29, and as of May 2, 23 cases of the virus have been confirmed.
While that number may seem small, Dr. Kathryn Koliaska of Alberta Health Services said it could very easily grow.
Unlike most other respiratory viruses that spread through droplets of bodily fluids like saliva, 鈥渕easles sticks around.鈥� Koliaska explained that it spreads through the air, and can survive for as long as two hours in a closed room.
鈥淓ven just being in the same airspace as someone with measles, if you鈥檙e not immune to it, you can get it. So it spreads extremely well,鈥� she said.
It was because of this fact that Alberta Health Services declared an outbreak, which Koliaska said helps it to take additional steps to stop the virus鈥� spread鈥攍ike allowing infants to get immunized earlier than normal.
Koliaska said she hopes those steps, along with a push to inform people about the importance of immunization are enough to stop the outbreak before it spreads further. She admitted, however, that it鈥檚 鈥渉ard to say how long and how far this will go. We鈥檙e doing everything we can to try and stop [the outbreak], but measles is extremely contagious and it finds a way to spread.鈥�
Jasper sits in the North zone of Alberta Health Services, and while no cases of measles have turned up here this year, Koliaska said it only takes one infected person coming to town to start the spread of the virus.
鈥淢easles is in several places in Alberta, and it does spread because people move around. Jasper is always a great place to go, so absolutely 鈥� you need to be worried about measles,鈥� she said.
Between 2001 and 2011 there was only 25 cases of measles identified in Alberta. Last year, an outbreak struck 42 people in the South zone, and with this year鈥檚 outbreak not yet under control, some have speculated that measles might be making a comeback.
Koliaska said in both cases the 鈥渋nitial hit鈥� came from outside the province, 鈥渂ut unfortunately we have enough non-immune people that the virus starts to spread.鈥�
Alberta Health Services only keeps digital records of immunization rates dating back to 2008, but those records show a steady decline in the number of children receiving the MMR vaccine that protects against measles.
In 2008, 88.21 per cent of Albertan children got the vaccine, compared to 84.26 per cent in 2012. Jasper鈥檚 numbers more or less follow that trend, although they do show a significant jump in immunization rates in 2012.
Koliaska explained that the less people who are immune, the easier the virus can spread and the longer it can stick around.
鈥淚f we have an optimally immunized population and measles comes in, that sustained spread and snowballing effect doesn鈥檛 happen. Where vice versa you can have a sub-optimally immunized population but measles doesn鈥檛 come in, again you know the sparks in the fire don鈥檛 happen.
鈥淯nfortunately now we鈥檙e seeing that things have lined up.鈥�
And while measles spreads easily in people who aren鈥檛 immune, Koliaska pointed out that the measles vaccine is extremely effective, and almost anyone who has received it doesn鈥檛 really have to worry about catching the virus.
鈥淭he vaccine is really good; 95 to 99 per cent good. No vaccine is 100 per cent good, but this vaccine is really, really good,鈥� she said.
Anyone who does catch the virus will first notice standard respiratory illness symptoms like a fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes. Three to seven days after the early illness starts, a red rash will start behind their ears, move to their face, then body, then arms and legs.
Koliaska urged anyone who thinks they might be infected to keep away from other people, and if they need to go to the hospital or doctor to tell medical staff right away that they think they have measles, so they can be isolated.
Of course, she said, the best way to ensure this doesn鈥檛 happen is just to get vaccinated.
鈥淩eally what we鈥檙e trying to emphasize as loudly as we can from a public health point of view is that immunization is absolutely the best prevention against measles,鈥� she said.
聽Trevor Nichols
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