Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of well being, speaks in Halifax on Dec. 7, 2021.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of well being says an grownup in Halifax contracted measles after they travelled to the U.S. – marking the primary recorded measles an infection within the province since 2023.
Dr. Robert Strang informed a information convention Tuesday the person had the usual single dose of vaccine, however not a second shot, which he stated is now thought of needed for full immunization. The province had been anticipating the virus to pop up, given ongoing outbreaks in North America and different components of the world, he stated.
“The well being system is effectively ready,” Strang stated, including that public well being is reaching out to anybody who was in touch with the person whereas they have been infectious. The individual has been discharged from hospital.
“We are going to get extra circumstances of measles coming in from journey. But when we now have excessive immunization charges, it won’t unfold,” Strang stated, urging all Nova Scotians to get absolutely immunized in the event that they haven’t already.
Strang stated that for a few years one dose of the measles vaccine was normal, however scientific proof now reveals that folks want two doses of the “extremely efficient” and secure vaccine for full immunization. Folks born between 1970 and 1995 have been usually supplied only one dose of the measles vaccine as infants, and they need to get a second shot, Strang stated.
These born in 1969 or earlier are thought of immune, however can obtain a single dose of the measles vaccine if planning to journey exterior of Canada. Youngsters born in Nova Scotia in 1996 and later ought to have already acquired each doses, Strang stated.
“I acknowledge that folks could not have a vaccine file; if you happen to don’t and also you’re unsure, get the one or two doses of vaccine. There’s no hurt or danger from getting vaccine if you truly had acquired a vaccine 20, 30 years in the past,” he stated.
Strang stated the contaminated individual had visited part of the U.S. that has not been acknowledged as having a measles outbreak.
“Which factors out that if you journey past Canada your danger of being uncovered to measles is now elevated, even when it’s varied components of america, as a result of measles is clearly spreading past the identified outbreak in Texas, and we’ve had a resurgence of measles in varied components of the world,” he stated.
The federal authorities’s weekly report on measles launched Friday says that as of April 19, there have been 1,177 circumstances of measles recognized in Canada up to now this 12 months. The bulk – 993 of those circumstances – have been detected in Ontario, and 120 have been recorded in Alberta.
Within the week from April 13-19, 108 new circumstances of measles have been reported throughout Canada. This 12 months’s spike in measles goes effectively above the 147 circumstances detected in 2024, and the 12 circumstances reported in 2023. There have been solely three circumstances of measles in 2022 and none in 2021.
Strang stated that whereas Nova Scotia’s vaccination knowledge is incomplete, there are some early indications that residents could also be getting fewer vaccines within the years since COVID-19 immunization was necessary for journey.
“We’re involved with a number of the potential drops within the knowledge we now have, however we have to additionally enhance the info,” he stated.
Strang stated that on a world scale, there are a variety of causes for the elevated prevalence of measles.
“There’s (public well being) breakdowns from battle and in addition dislocations of populations the place we now have massive refugee camps the place measles is a part of the image however fairly frankly, we’ve had a long time of a non-scientific method that’s been pushed and promoted round this vaccine. It is a secure, efficient vaccine,” he stated.
The chief medical officer stated he’s involved in regards to the prevalence of disinformation shared on social media and elsewhere that questions the protection and efficacy of vaccines, or incorrectly claims that vaccines are linked to a spread of well being circumstances.
“This line of pondering, I’ll name it, isn’t based mostly on science. It’s truly been debunked completely and scientifically confirmed I don’t know how one can say it much more clearly that the measles vaccine is extremely efficient. It’s also extraordinarily secure. The science tells us that over and over and we’d like individuals to hearken to science,” Strang stated.
