More kids hospitalized with breathing issues, 'very high' fevers as measles outbreak grows

The number of unvaccinated children contracting measles continues to grow across southwestern Ontario with public health officials worried the outbreak is much larger than current numbers show.

Public health officials responsible for areas extending from St. Thomas to Brantford, Woodstock and into Norfolk County spoke Thursday about what they're seeing. Their message is that the situation is not good. 

There are currently:

• 136 cases in Southwestern Public Health region (up from 115 cases earlier this week).
• 82 cases in Grand Erie Public Health region (79 exclusively in Norfolk county)
• 6 cases in Huron Perth Public Health region (all linked to the above cases)

Earlier in the day, the Middlesex London Health Unit also warned of a potential exposure to measles at Victoria Hospital's adult emergency department on Saturday. It said there was also a risk of exposure that occurred the same day at the Value Village on Wellington Road in London. 

The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health unit also reported one case in Guelph earlier this week. 

"We recognize there are likely additional cases that have not been identified and have not been reported to public health," said Dr. Ninh Tran, medical officer of health with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH).

The outbreak has been building since last October. Doctors say the vast majority of people getting sick are unvaccinated, and most are children.

"We are seeing serious complications in children who have measles who are being brought to hospitals due to breathing difficulties, increased heart rates, and extreme dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting and very high fevers," Tran said.

Some children also experience pneumonia and/or brain inflammation which can, on rare occasions, lead to death. 

Uncharted territory for some doctors

Measles is mostly preventable with vaccinations that doctors say are safe. Dr. Asmaa Hussain is urging her patients to get their children the shot, and boosters for themselves. 

The pediatrician works at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, which is treating measles patients. 

"There is a big portion of the community that has elected to not immunize their children, so this is only getting bigger and bigger," Hussain said during an interview on London Morning Thursday.

"The reported cases that we hear only capture part of the actual infection because a lot of these families are staying at home and isolating with multiple infected children."

Hussain tells parents with sick children to call ahead to the hospital. She said measles patients need to be put in a negative pressure room to keep pathogens from infecting others.

The St. Thomas hospital's pediatric department only has one such room, and she said it's often in use these days.

"It's really concerning, honestly. There is significant spread in the community that's probably much bigger than what we're seeing right now," Hussain said.

Last month, Public Health Ontario directed local health boards to increase vaccination efforts, allowing infants as young as six to 11 months to get their first dose. Normally, measles-containing vaccines are first given at one year of age.

"There are additional clinics happening in both of our regions.," Tran said. "[SWPH] is also offering infant focused vaccination clinics during the month of March for babies who live in Elgin or Oxford counties or the City of Saint Thomas."

With two doses, measles-containing vaccines are close to 100 per cent effective at preventing infection, according to Health Canada. Anyone born in or after 1970 is encouraged to get a booster through a primary care provider.