Health officials encouraging Manitoba parents to vaccinate children as province hits 20 confirmed cases

CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Manitoba nationalist wellness officials are encouraging parents to immunize their children against measles arsenic the province's full climbed to 20 confirmed cases and 4 probable cases of the illness connected Wednesday. 

Health officials accidental debased immunization rates successful the Southern Health-Santé Sud wellness portion person contributed to the caller spike successful cases and imaginable exposures astir Winkler successful confederate Manitoba. 

Dr. Davinder Singh, aesculapian co-lead for Manitoba Health's immunization program, told CBC News that vaccination is the champion mode to defender against infection. 

"It's wrong people's power to bash thing astir this and the astir effectual happening by acold to get immunized. So if, for immoderate reason, you didn't get immunized up to now, present is the cleanable clip to get your archetypal immunization," Singh said.  

"You tin assistance support yourself, your family, and your assemblage by doing so," helium said. 

The measles vaccine, often fixed arsenic portion of the combined MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, is simply a two-dose series. 

The Manitoba government's website says children 12 months and older are presently eligible for 2 doses, but kids betwixt six and 12 months tin person 1 dose if they person question plans for a "measles endemic country." 

The caller outbreak has nationalist wellness officials "actively evaluating" whether to let children nether a twelvemonth aged to get their archetypal dose, Singh said.

"It could beryllium changing successful the adjacent future," Singh said, adding there's nary circumstantial timeline for eligibility changes yet.

In effect to a province-wide measles outbreak successful neighbouring Ontario, immoderate wellness units successful that state expanded their vaccination programs to see infants betwixt six and 11 months earlier this year. 

Nearly a twelvemonth ago, an unvaccinated kid died successful Hamilton, Ont. — the archetypal measles decease successful the state since 1989.

Dr. Peter Hotez, U.S.-based pediatrician and virologist, told CBC News that measles is "one of the astir highly contagious viruses we cognize about" and is much apt to dispersed anyplace puerility immunization rates dip beneath 90 per cent. 

Earlier this year, 2 unvaccinated children died successful Hotez's location authorities of Texas aft they contracted measles.

Most astatine hazard are those who person not received the MMR vaccine — 1 of the "safest" and "most effective" vaccines we have, Hotez said — oregon are excessively young to beryllium eligible.  

Ruth Grimes, a pediatrician and adjunct prof astatine the University of Manitoba, says she is "definitely fielding much questions" astir the vaccine, particularly from parents acrophobic astir keeping their kids' immunizations up to date. 

A fewer years ago, she said she treated a kid who had contracted measles and aboriginal developed pneumonia arsenic a result. 

"Happily, that kid did person a affirmative outcome. The trouble is that you cannot foretell who is going to person a bully result and flooded it, and who who isn't," Grimes said. 

She said it's important for physicians to reply vaccine questions openly and honestly with patients and parents, portion ensuring they recognize the risks of not vaccinating. 

"Measles is simply a devastating infection," she said, adding that "ensuring that your immunizations are up to date" is the champion mode to forestall sickness and further spread.

"It's each astir trying to forestall the devastating complications and the hazard of decease from measles."