Alberta's top doctor urges vaccination as measles cases surge

Jennifer Lee · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 8:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Alberta's full fig of measles cases person much than doubled implicit the past week, prompting Alberta's main aesculapian serviceman of wellness to contented a connection informing it is simply a superior and preventable virus.

The state reported eight new cases on Friday, bringing the full since the outbreaks began to 58.

Hospitalizations person accrued arsenic well. To date, 8 Albertans person been hospitalized owed to measles.

The province's cardinal portion is hardest deed with 30 cases. There are now 11 cases successful the southbound zone, 10 in the north, 4 successful the Edmonton portion and 3 successful the Calgary zone.

"Measles is much superior than different communal puerility illnesses. It tin origin pneumonia, encephalon swelling and adjacent death," said Dr. Mark Joffe successful a connection published online Friday afternoon.

Health officials are watching the cardinal and southbound zones peculiarly closely, helium said.

"While the fig of cases is concerning, I privation to fto Albertans cognize that nationalist wellness officials are managing the cases and contacts arsenic good arsenic moving with section enactment to enactment affected communities."

He besides urged immunization, noting the measles vaccine is harmless and highly effective.

"These outbreaks are highly preventable. Albertans tin support themselves and those astir them by ensuring their measles immunizations are up to date," the connection said.

"Immunization with measles-containing vaccine is the azygous astir important nationalist wellness involution to forestall measles. This is particularly existent for parents of children aged 2 and younger, who are much susceptible to terrible outcomes arsenic a effect of contracting measles."

Two doses of the measles vaccine offers astir 100 per cent protection, according to the Alberta authorities website.

Joffe's statement comes connected the heels of increasing calls from wellness experts for him to talk publicly. He has not appeared astatine a quality league oregon successful an interrogation since the measles outbreaks began.

• Alberta's measles lawsuit counts ascent with cardinal portion hardest hit

• Alberta's apical doc should beryllium fixed greenish airy to talk publically connected measles, wellness experts say

Expanded reporting

The state besides expanded its measles webpage, adding much elaborate information.

In peculiar it shows that arsenic of April 5, 30 of the 35 confirmed cases were not immunized. The remaining 5 had received 1 dose.

Infectious illness experts had been calling for the merchandise of immunization presumption successful an effort to guarantee Albertans were afloat informed astir the risks.

Alberta Health is besides providing a much elaborate property breakdown of each measles cases:

• Under the property of five: 14 cases
• Five to 17 years old: 40 cases
• 18 to 54 years old: three cases
• 55 years and older: one case

The information besides shows that the fig of measles vaccine doses fixed retired dropped successful each zones astatine the extremity of March aft peaking earlier successful the month.

Community transmission concerns

In an update from officials this week, AHS unit were told determination is grounds of assemblage transmission successful immoderate parts of the province.

"Trying to incorporate this has go highly difficult," said Craig Jenne, a prof successful the section of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases astatine the University of Calgary.

"We're precise overmuch looking similar what Ontario mightiness person been looking astatine successful the autumn and winter."

Ontario has been battling a increasing outbreak for months, with cases present topping 800.

According to Jenne, Alberta needs to enactment rapidly to boost vaccination rates.

If that doesn't happen, helium said, it's apt measles volition proceed to spread.

"Unfortunately we cognize simply from the mathematics that arsenic lawsuit numbers spell up, the hazard of radical with terrible corruption and terrible outcomes besides goes up," said Jenne.

Texas reported its 2nd decease successful an unvaccinated kid past week, and past twelvemonth a young kid died successful Ontario.

• Do you request different measles changeable arsenic an big successful Alberta? You might

Measles tin pb to receptor infections, pneumonia and encephalon swelling (which tin origin encephalon damage).

It tin beryllium truthful terrible that betwixt 1 and 3 retired of each 1,000 radical who are infected with the airborne microorganism volition die, according to the province.

Measles symptoms include:

• high fever
• cough
• runny nose
• red eyes
• a blotchy, reddish rash that appears 3 to 7 days aft the fever starts

Call 811 if perchance infected

Alberta Health Services issued a agelong database of vulnerability alerts successful the cardinal portion this week.

You tin spot the database of vulnerability dates and locations here.

A fig of the astir caller advisories are for exigency departments successful Red Deer, Two Hills and Vegreville.

Albertans are advised to telephone Health Link astatine 811 if they person measles symptoms oregon deliberation they've been exposed, earlier visiting a hospital, session oregon wellness attraction providers specified arsenic pharmacists.

Jenne said this volition forestall further dispersed of the virus, which tin hap successful waiting rooms and could infect susceptible people.

"Make that telephone telephone archetypal and get instructions connected wherever they tin beryllium seen safely, rapidly and get the wellness attraction they request without perchance spreading that microorganism further," said Jenne.

• Ontario measles lawsuit number tops 800, 155 caller infections since past week

Meanwhile the state is besides reporting an estimation of the fig of cases that it considers past the play of communicability.

Joffe noted 48 cases are "likely" nary longer contagious, adding this doesn't needfully bespeak the hazard successful the assemblage due to the fact that determination whitethorn beryllium radical successful Alberta with undiagnosed measles.

Measles immunization

According to the province, children nether the property of five, large Albertans and radical with weakened immune systems are astatine the highest hazard of terrible complications from measles.

More than 90 per cent of people, who are not immune and who travel into interaction with the virus, volition go infected, the website states.

The state precocious lowered the property astatine which babies surviving successful cardinal and southbound zones are eligible for their archetypal measles vaccine. This alteration was antecedently enactment successful spot for infants successful parts of bluish Alberta.

Adults calved earlier 1970 who are surviving successful the aforesaid parts of the state whitethorn besides beryllium eligible for a azygous dose if they conscionable definite criteria.

The provincial authorities offers the measles vaccine for escaped to those who are eligible.

Albertans who are unsure of their immunization past — or that of their kid — are urged to text "vaccine record" to 88111, telephone Health Link at 811, oregon telephone their local public wellness oregon assemblage wellness centre.

People 14 years of property and older tin cheque their immunization past using myhealthrecords.