The best protection against measles? Get vaccinated, says chief medical officer

Newfoundland and Labrador's top doctor is encouraging people to roll up their sleeves and get immunized against measles, as cases of the highly infectious virus spike across the world.

Some of those outbreaks have happened in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

But Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer of health, says this province is well-positioned to stop the spread.

"We haven't had any cases of measles in Newfoundland and Labrador. The last cases we had reported actually were in 2017," Fitzgerald told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show, pointing to a consistently high vaccination rate.

"We have a really good vaccination rate here against measles. Over 90 per cent of children are vaccinated at 12 and 18 months."

Children should get the vaccination at 12 months and 18 months old, and people born before 1970, the time around which the vaccine was first introduced, are considered to have already been exposed to measles and are likely immune, Fitzgerald said.

Residents travelling outside of the country are recommended to get the vaccine.

Most people in the province, born after 1983, would have already received two shots of the vaccine. Fitzgerald says they can connect with public health to get an update.

"Measles is always a concern when we see it starting to rise again across the globe, and certainly we're seeing cases in Canada as well, more than we've seen in quite some time," she said.

Risks and prevention

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world and is easily transmissible.

Fitzgerald says it can "hang around in a room" for up to two hours in the air.

"That infected person may not even be in your presence and you can still contract measles from them," she said, adding one infected person in a room of 10 people could infect nine.

Most people who are infected will develop a rash, fever, a cough, a runny nose and conjunctivitis, or red eyes.

"About 10 per cent of people will go on to get other infections such as ear infections or pneumonia," Fitzgerald said.

"It can be a pretty significant illness if somebody gets it."

In rare cases there can be severe complications that can lead to permanent neurological problems and even death.

According to the World Health Organization, vaccines have prevented more than 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023, but also notes that in recent years the rate of children getting vaccinated has decreased.

"We certainly do want people to protect themselves and to protect their children against this really infectious disease," Fitzgerald said.

"The best defence that you have with measles is vaccination, and we know that if you received two doses of that vaccine, it's almost 100 per cent effective at protecting against measles infections."

It's also still flu season, she said, and recommends that people practice good hygiene measures like staying home if they feel unwell, washing their hands and covering when they need to cough or sneeze. Flu shots are also still available, Fitzgerald said.

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