Measles, once perceived as a common childhood disease in Canada, but thought to have been conquered, has reappeared in the Montreal area again. The public health department has issued a warning to Quebecers to make sure they have their vaccine up to date.
Since there is no specific treatment for the illness, the public health officials say that vaccination is very crucial. Two shots are recommended as one may not be enough.
Public health officials state that 14 cases have been reported in Montreal in recent months with 12 of them adults in the age group of 22 – 39. So far, no death has been reported in this minor outbreak.
From 2001 to 2005, an average of 14 cases per year were reported. The highest was 34 in 2001. According to federal officials, Canada has recorded a total of 19 cases this year. The risk of death from measles is one in 3,000.
Measles was rampant in Canada till the vaccine was found in the 1970s. It was in 1989 that Canada had 10,000 cases of measles in which five children died and four suffered brain damage. Canada, then, realized that one dose of vaccine was not sufficient and recommended a second dose.
Vaccination is the easiest and effective way to avoid this highly contagious disease, said Dr Jocelyne Sauve, director, public health, South of Montreal, where eight cases were found.
The disease, still common in the developing countries, has been all but eliminated in North America, particularly in Canada by widespread immunization, but there still remains a section that rejects vaccination due to religious or philosophical reasons. Sauve said that immigrants in the recent years might not also have taken their shots. Therefore, the vaccine coverage is not 100 percent.
Death from measles are easily avoidable. Sauve regretted that it is said that people are not taking advantage of easy measures. She further remarked that as the disease is not widespread, physicians have no clue about it and measles go undiagnosed at many clinics.